Surveillance and Positioning System

ABSTRACT

A position determining system includes a surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, one or more sensors in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, one or more surveillance cameras in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer receiving from the one or more sensors positional data about an asset and assembling and forwarding instructions to the one or more surveillance cameras in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, the instructions requesting specific surveillance to be undertaken by the one or more surveillance cameras; and a processor in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer that determines if additional data is required about the asset and when additional data is required, assembling and forwarding instructions regarding an action.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/146,086, filed May 4, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/776,208, filed on Feb. 25, 2013, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/602,893, filedon Feb. 24, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Aspects are directed toward a position determining system that includesa surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer; one or moresensors in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoringspecial purpose computer; one or more surveillance cameras in electricalcommunication with the surveillance and monitoring special purposecomputer, the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computerreceiving from the one or more sensors positional data about an assetand assembling and forwarding instructions to the one or moresurveillance cameras in electrical communication with the surveillanceand monitoring special purpose computer, the instructions requestingspecific surveillance to be undertaken by the one or more surveillancecameras; and a processor in electrical communication with thesurveillance and monitoring special purpose computer that determines ifadditional data is required about the asset and when additional data isrequired, assembling and forwarding instructions regarding an action.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The management of events and actors involved in insurance loss aretraditionally handled through disparate, inefficient client-burdenedsystems with misaligned interests. The processes employed are commonlypassive and operate after peril has occurred. Further, typical outcomescreate dissatisfaction among the participants, in particular the insuredpolicyholder, and routinely breed opportunities for insurance fraud. Aneed exists for a fundamental paradigm change in the management ofinsurance loss that aligns stakeholder interests, removes or reduces therole of the insured policyholder as the manager of the insurance lossprocess, and enables efficiencies that reduce costs and fraud.

Most insurance policyholders have fairly cynical viewpoints with respectto how benevolent their insurance companies and insurance agents arewith respect to the customer's true desire to remain protected in theevent of a catastrophe. Thus, it is unprecedented for insurance agentsto proactively contact policyholders to warn them of impending physicalevents that may cause damage to items that are covered or otherwiseencompassed under an insured's policy. Most communications between apolicyholder and an insurance agent and company are limited to theinitial contacts, where there is great incentive on the part of theinsurance company to sign up a new policyholder, and then less cordialcommunications around events where policyholders make claims againsttheir policy and thereafter have oftentimes adversarial dialogue anddiscussions with the insurance company and the agent with respect towhether a particular event is covered under policy language. Indeed, anentire insurance defense industry has been established and a great bodyof judicial precedent has been handed down over the decades to deal withhow insurance policies are fairly interpreted when such disputes arise.Furthermore, oftentimes communications between a policyholder and aninsurance agent can themselves be used as a basis for “bad faith”insurance claims, wherein a policyholder accuses the insurance agentand/or insurance company of unreasonably refusing to cover events, withthe insurance company arguing that particular contractual languageexists to preclude coverage. In brief, the history of insurancecompanies interactions with their insured's, while starting initially asmutually beneficial, often devolve into communications that are outrightadversarial, costing both the insured and the insurance companiesconsiderable time, effort, money and good will, in order to resolvedisputes with respect to coverage issues.

There is also a lack of a comprehensive solution to address appropriateand commercially reasonable responses to peril between all stakeholders.The interaction between insurance agents and a policyholder is only oneaspect of the overall process. To spread risk of loss, insuranceagencies work with re-insurers. Simply stated, reinsurance is insurancefor insurers. Just as individuals buy insurance in case of peril and forloss they do not wish to bear, insurers purchase reinsurance for risksthey do not want to fully retain. Like insurers, re-insurers use thesame techniques and models for risk selection. Also like insurers,re-insurers are often pre-funded through premium payments and pursuesimilar general approaches to asset liability management. Since insurersand re-insurers have similar business models, their interests are oftenaligned. For example, re-insurers have a central interest inunderstanding the risk of the insurance companies in order to accuratelyprice and manage risks covered by a re-insurance policy. Re-insurers mayrequire insurance companies to share certain information, such asinformation in the insurer's underwriting portfolio. Re-insurers mayalso share their knowledge of risk information, which can extend over awide range of hazards and geographies to help with risk management.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0006139 published to Wait et al. (“Wait”)provides a general overview of traditional insurance claim processing.Wait's methods for processing claims create a claim management case foran insured in response to a notice of a claim. One or more insurancepolicies covering the insured are associated with the claim managementcase. A process is performed at a claim management case level to fulfillan information requirement that applies to at least two of the insurancepolicies associated with the claim management case. Claims areadjudicated under the one or more of the insurance policies covering theinsured. Typical of traditional insurance claim processing, the claimprocessing is performed after an event, and the client policy holder isrequired to actively involve himself in the claim process management.Wait is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

100071 U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0137685 published to Tracy et al. on Jun.9, 2011 (“Tracy”) provides a typical approach to insurance lossmanagement, albeit with computer-automated components. Tracy discloses asystem centered around the customer (see Prior Art Figure) particularlyapplied to inland marine insurance. The Tracy system includes a lossmitigation computer system with a customer interface electronicallyreceiving customer information data from a customer computer system viaa communications network. A risk assessment computer processing moduleprocesses the customer information data and identifies a perilassociated with the customer information data. A risk mitigationcomputer processing module generates a risk mitigation option based onthe peril and receives customer selected risk mitigation optionsresponsive to the generated risk mitigation option from the customercomputer system. Further, a customization computer processing modulegenerates a calculated insurance premium, a current risk assessment, afuture risk assessment, recommendations, and a gap analysis based on thecustomer selected risk mitigation option. In Tracy, the insured policyholder essentially serves as the general manager of the insurance losssystem. Tracy does not provide proactive or real-time management ofinsurance loss minimization. Tracy is incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0213628 published to Peak et al. on Sep. 1, 2011(“Peak”) provides some real-time management of insurance loss as relatedto vehicle losses. Peak provides detailed information to a policyholderabout geographical areas which pose a high risk of loss, therebyallowing users to proactively avoid those areas. The accuracy of theinformation is improved by allowing mobile device users to provideupdates about losses and related information while they are at or nearan area at which a loss was suffered. Such updates may be used toinitiate and process insurance claims associated with a loss. Theinformation may also be used, pursuant to some embodiments, to price andunderwrite certain policies, providing improved coverage and pricing forindividuals based on their usage and driving patterns. Peak provides nocomprehensive real-time solution for the management and minimization ofinsurance loss. Peak is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Some effort has been made by the insurance industry to apply principlesand/or elements of so-called “customer communications management (CCM)”to, for example, improve the effectiveness of the interactions betweenpolicyholders and insurance representatives. A common challenge withimplementing CCM has been to apply it only within limited units orfunctional areas of a business (e.g. solely in marketing, distributionor claims) rather than comprehensively across all areas of an insurancebusiness enterprise. As such, resulting improvements have been limited.For more background on CCM, see, for example, U.S. Pat. Pub. No.2006/0149571 published to Birch et al. on Jul. 6, 2006 (“Birch”). Birchdiscloses systems, methods, and computer programs for unifyingmanagement of customer messages and responses in an enterprise across aplurality of channels. One embodiment is an enterprise systemcomprising: a plurality of enterprise applications for interacting withcustomers via a plurality of channels, and a communication managementframework for managing messages to be presented to the customers andcustomer responses to the messages across the plurality of enterpriseapplications. Birch is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Thus, the prior art does not provide a comprehensive management andminimization of insurance loss system in which insurance perils andinsured assets are monitored, potential perils to insured assets areassessed, possible actions are determined, and selected actions areexecuted involving actors such as the policyholder, insurance agent,mitigation responder, and insurance appraiser. The prior art does notalign stakeholder interests, remove or reduce the role of the insuredpolicyholder as the manager of the insurance loss process, and enableefficiencies that reduce costs and fraud. Further, the prior art doesnot address damage mitigation during peril, and incident managementafter peril, to the policyholder and/or insured assets. Other similarproblems can be found not only in other insurance industry fields, e.g.health care, etc., but are also present in other industries, such as theconstruction industry. The long felt but unsolved needs in these diverseindustries is met via implementation of the various embodiments of theinvention as set forth herein, addressing in particular the twoprincipal areas of damage/loss mitigation and how best to address postdamage/loss management in a fashion that is efficient, cost effective,employs recent advances in technology at the consumer level, and thatprovides the tremendous financial savings for the insurance and otherindustries that may employ the present invention. The system and methodof the current invention described below addresses these deficienciesand problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention are generally related to asystem and method for comprehensive management and minimization ofinsurance loss. Insurance perils and insured assets are monitored,potential perils to insured assets are assessed, possible actions aredetermined, and selected actions are executed involving actors such asthe policyholder, insurance agent, mitigation responder, and insuranceappraiser. Particular embodiments address damage mitigation during periland incident management after peril, to the policyholder and/or insuredassets.

As used in this disclosure, the terms “system”, “device” and “method”all refer to one or more embodiments of the invention. The terms“insured”, “policy holder” and “insured policy holder” all refer to theinsured policy holder. The terms “agent” and “insurance agent” all referto the insurance agent. The term “insurer” and “cedant” refer to aninsurance company that issues insurance policies to an insured policyholder. The term “re-insurer” refers to a company that provides a policyagreement to an insurer or cedant to cover certain losses suffered bythe insurer or cedant due to paying an insured policy holder based onthe policy coverage. The term “re-insurance” or “re-insurance policy”refer to the policy agreement between an insurer or cedant for there-insurer.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment toe-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, itis to be understood that the database may be any type of database, suchas relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storagemedium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations of the presentdisclosure are stored.

The term “desktop” refers to a metaphor used to portray systems. Adesktop is generally considered a “surface” that typically includespictures, called icons, widgets, folders, etc. that can activate showapplications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, documents, and othergraphical items. The icons are generally selectable to initiate a taskthrough user interface interaction to allow a user to executeapplications or conduct other operations.

The term “screen,” “touch screen,” or “touchscreen” refers to a physicalstructure that includes one or more hardware components that provide thedevice with the ability to render a user interface and/or receive userinput. A screen can encompass any combination of gesture capture region,a touch sensitive display, and/or a configurable area. The device canhave one or more physical screens embedded in the hardware. However ascreen may also include an external peripheral device that may beattached and detached from the device. In embodiments, multiple externaldevices may be attached to the device. Thus, in embodiments, the screencan enable the user to interact with the device by touching areas on thescreen and provides information to a user through a display. The touchscreen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as bya change in an electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance),acoustic wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, lightvariation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, forexample, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers inthe screen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen,the two layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a changein electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contactedlocation calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layerstores electrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contactwith the touch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of thecapacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and the contacted locationcoordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, anacoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic waveis disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducer detects the usercontact instance and determines the contacted location coordinates.

The term “display” refers to a portion of one or more screens used todisplay the output of a computer to a user. A display may be asingle-screen display or a multi-screen display, referred to as acomposite display. A composite display can encompass the touch sensitivedisplay of one or more screens. A single physical screen can includemultiple displays that are managed as separate logical displays. Thus,different content can be displayed on the separate displays althoughpart of the same physical screen.

The term “covered location” means a location in which a majority of theprojected surface area below the covering is contained or covered. Forexample, a garage would be a covered location that covers a majority ofthe area below the roof of the garage.

By way of providing additional background, context, and to furthersatisfy the written description requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112, thefollowing references are incorporated by reference in their entiretiesfor the express purpose of explaining the nature of the insuranceprocesses and methods to further describe the various systems,sub-systems, tools and components commonly associated therewith: U.S.Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0030910 published to Bennett et al. on Jan. 29, 2009;U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,725 issued to Pritchard on Jan. 1, 1985; U.S. Pat.Pub. No. U.S. 2008/0262883 published to Weiss et al. on Oct. 23, 2008;U.S. Pat. No. 65,950,169 issued to Borghesi et al. on Sep. 7, 1999; andInternational Pub. No. WO 2010/091372 published to Sholer et al. on Aug.12, 2010.

Employing and implementing the present invention provides a paradigmshift in insurance management that is quite large and exists in severalveins and contexts, most of which has significant economic impact. Forexample, it has been estimated that eighty percent (80%) of eachinsurance premium dollar collected in the United States is paid outannually for insured losses, e.g. as pay out to the insured and relatedexpenses. This payout is estimated at $358 Billion per year. Thus, ifonly a one-percent (1%) efficiency reduction were achieved, for exampleby preventing residential property losses by proactively warningindividual policyholders of a specific weather threat and providing themspecific and timely actions to take to mitigate if not eliminatepotential property losses, an annual savings of $3.58 Billion could berealized. It has also been estimated that forty to fifty percent(40%-50%) of annual pay outs are made to third-party suppliers of goodsand services, e.g. automotive body shops and associated auto parts torepair damaged vehicles left outside during a hail storm. Again, aone-percent (1%) efficiency improvement, for example, by proactivelycontacting individual policyholders to request that they shelter theirvehicles immediately due to a high probability of vehicle damage due toa passing hail storm, could yield an annual savings exceeding $1.43Billion. Similarly, significant savings may accrue through more informedbargaining between an insurance company and third-party suppliers ofgoods and services due to more timely and accurate notice of asignificant weather event. For example, in the case of a hail stormpredicted to impact a significant number of residential homes, theinsurance company may, before the storm actually causes property damage,enter into repair contracts with roofing contractors and materialcontracts with roofing suppliers. Such contracts would undoubtedly beunder more favorable terms, i.e. cheaper, when negotiated before actualdamage occurs because the demand for the goods and services would beless than it would be after the storm had actually realized propertydamage.

As a more localized illustration of the economic impact of a paradigmshift in the management of insurance losses, consider a scenarioinvolving Highlands Ranch, CO, a Denver suburb, where there areapproximately 45,000 residential homes. Assume Acme Insurance Companyinsures 7,500 of the homes, and 3,000 are active participants in acooperative new-paradigm system (the subject of the invention) which canproactively warn individual policyholders of specific weather threats.The 3,000 active participants receive and properly respond to a warningby Acme Insurance of an impending storm and told to take specificactions within a specific timeframe, e.g. board up their windows, pullvehicles into garages, and ensure an abundant supply of gasoline forelectrical power generators. These properties suffer $30,000 in damage,whereas the other 4,500 homes suffer $50,000 in damage. As such, the netsavings to Acme Insurance is 3,000 homes times $20,000/home, or $60Million. If such a situation occurs on average every other day, thesavings to Acme Insurance is over $10 Billion annually.

One aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention is directedto how an insurance agent interacts and communicates with policyholdersin anticipation of a potentially catastrophic event.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed towardsrehabilitating the reputation of insurance companies and insuranceagents with respect to the legitimate concerns of an insured, especiallywhen the insured is faced with an imminent crisis that could triggerpolicy coverage issues. By way of example, but noting that suchscenarios are only some of many possible scenarios, the following setsforth a situation of an insured and an insurance agent (or insurancecompany), when an impending hail storm is predicted by a weatherservice. Technological advances in weather forecasting has permitted farbetter information to be provided to the populace with respect toprecisely where damaging hail storms may hit, including not only thescope of territory, but also the duration and even potential hail sizesinvolved. The consequential damages from such storms can now begenerally appreciated and assessed by sophisticated informationaldatabases. The particular damage caused by any specific hail storm,however, is largely dependent upon the measures taken by individuals insecuring their insured valuables from damage. For example, by puttingone's car in a covered garage, the damage that would otherwise beincurred in a hail storm is precluded due to such proactive measure. Apractical problem, however, is that with the majority of the adult workforce being otherwise occupied during the work day, a potentiallydamaging hail storm forecast for a residential neighborhood, where theworker may reside, may not permit the worker to leave work in order toprotect valuables that are encompassed by an insurance policy. If suchworker were, however, notified with sufficient time in order to takesuch protective measures, significant and substantial damages to coveredpolicy items could be avoided. Oftentimes, however, insurancepolicyholders do not appreciate at any given time what particular itemsare covered or not under their policies and thus, absent suchpolicyholder's reviewing their policies on a fairly frequent basis, theprobability that a policyholder would appreciate what particular itemsmay be susceptible to damage from a natural occurrence may be remote.One aspect of the present invention therefore involves the directcommunication between an insurance agent and/or representatives of aninsurance company with the policyholder, or designated representative ofa policyholder, in order to not only forewarn the policyholder of apotentially damaging and imminent event, but also to advise and/orremind the policyholder of what particular items are covered under thepolicy.

For example, one particular aspect of the present invention involvespre-warnings communicated to a policy holder of worrisome future eventssuch that protective measures can be taken. For example, an insured mayreceive a communication from its insurance agent that a recent spate ofburglaries has taken place in the insured's neighborhood, thus alertingthe policy holder to such a threat. In response to such warning, thepolicy holder would be advised, for example, to secure particularvaluables that may be at risk (e.g. jewelry, etc) that is aligned withpolice reports of recent local burglaries. Verification that suchmeasures have been taken by the insured can be provided via an iPhonepicture of the jewelry being placed in a safe, etc. A benefit of areduced premium if such verification is sent to the agent within aprescribed time period and with prescribed content, dating, etc. can beoffered to incentivize the policy holder to take such protectiveactions. Moreover, the policy holder may also be invited by theinsurance agent to evaluate and secure coverage for any recent acquiredjewelry that might not have otherwise been covered—thus providing theinsurance agent with an additional sales opportunity, and providing theindividual comfort that his/her jewelry assets are properly insured.

As a practical matter, such a sharing of information with thepolicyholder may even trigger the policyholder to appreciate andrecognize that additional coverage is required, for example, for a newlyadded addition to a house, a new vehicle, building structure, etc. Forexample, while impending threats of harm to valuables is one aspect ofthe present invention, another related aspect involves a recentacquisition by an insured of additional valuables that the policy holdermay have failed to appreciate is not covered under an existing policy.Notification of such events and coordination of coverage to address suchevents is one aspect of the present invention. In a case where anindividual purchases a new jewelry piece, such a purchase could betracked by the store where the item was bought, then by the insuranceagent responsible for the client's coverage, and then raised inappropriate communications to the individual to ensure that theindividual has made a conscious choice to not have such a new itemcovered under a policy—and/or to confirm that such a new purchase isalready covered under existing policies. Thus, in a more interactivefashion, the agent can engage in communications with the policy holderon a proactive basis that is both appreciated by the policy holder andthat at the same time, may result in increased business for theinsurance agent. The binding ties that such periodic communications hason a consumer are well recognized, and deter such client fromconsidering alternative prospects with other insurance agents. Thus, notonly will such a communication from the insurance agent to thepolicyholder provide some forewarning of potentially damagingconsequences with respect to covered items under a policy, such acommunication may also further advance both the insured's interest andthe insurance agent's interest in making sure that the policyholder hasproperly identified all valuables that should be properly protectedunder an insurance policy. Thus, rather than an insurance agent simplycold-calling clients to remind them that they may wish to haveadditional insurance in case they acquire new valuable items, theoccasion of an imminent threat to physical harm with respect to alreadycovered items provides an opportunity for the insurance agent to make anon-harassing and beneficial contact with a policyholder.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, distinct profiles areemployed to facilitate computerized assessment of imminent physicalthreats to persons and property so as to facilitate appropriatecommunications that lessen the opportunity of catastrophic damage. Forexample, particular profiles in certain embodiments include policyholderprofiles (e.g., types of policyholders by items covered, duration ofpolicy, policy limits, policy minimums, potential loss potentialities,etc.); vendor profiles (e.g., roof repair services, car repair services,water damage services, wind damage services, etc.); event horizonprofiles (e.g., damage caused by wind, snow, rain, hail, ice storms,etc.); and insurance type (e.g., fire, life, property, jewelry, etc.).In certain embodiments of various aspects of the present invention, aprioritization scheme is set forth that facilitates the selection ofdiscrete and identifiable profiles to mix and match in order toformulate a desired communication protocol, as further described herein.

Yet another factor to be analyzed and employed in certain embodiments ofthe present invention link probability profiles with respect to not onlythe occurrence of particular events, but with the potential damageassessments arising therefrom and the potential avoidance of claimsbeing made due to proactive conduct being employed. Such proactiveconduct may be evaluated upon one or more of the following: temporalperiods prior to a physical event; modes of communication employed tocontact an insured; degree of repetition of communication efforts andduration, repeatability, variety and subject matter of communicationsemployed in view of changing situations as temporal and situationalaspects change.

For example, an impending hurricane may be predicted days in advance,which may suggest that communications to a more general populace ofinsureds be employed through reverse-911 messages having a less urgenttone, but that communicate to the policyholders a general cautionarymessage as to protecting persons and property from potential damage. Asthe hurricane event draws closer, however, more particularizedinformation with respect to the scope, severity, prospects ofwind/hail/water damage can be better assessed and communications to moredirected, and/or isolated for fewer policyholders can be made, withconsequently more detailed information being employed, as well as theurgency and directness of communications made via computerized orpersonal messages. Such messages can be predetermined and preselectedaccording to the particular severity of events as further dictated bytemporal aspects of when the event is due to occur and what particularterritories it will impact.

It is illustrative to contrast the above scenario with and without theinvention. Currently, if a policyholder residing in northern Virginiareceives generalized news of an approaching storm, he is left to guess(and worry) as to whether the storm poses a realistic threat to hisproperty. For example, he may be about to depart on a vacation andwaiting in a lounge area, and see on a television that an hail storm isapproaching northern Virginia, but cannot identify whether the stormwill actually strike his area of residence (Fairfax County) or pass tothe northwest through adjacent Loudoun County. With such inaccuratedata, he is left simply to wonder and worry as to whether his properties(e.g. residential home, cars parked outside) are at risk. In contrast,with use of the invention in some embodiments, he may be contacted viae-mail, cell phone message, instant message (or other means known tothose skilled in the art) that the ice storm is predicted to pass wellwest of both Fairfax and Loudon counties and therefore there is nothingto worry about and no action to be taken. In another scenario, thepolicyholder may be relaxing in his backyard in Champaign, Ill. whileclouds gather unnoticed overhead. In some embodiments, the inventioncommunicates to the policyholder that a rapidly-moving tornado ispredicted to pass near his home within the next thirty minutes andadvises him to seek shelter and bring his vehicles into the garage. Hisneighbor, without the invention, is devoid of such a warning and assumesthat the gathering clouds, if he notices them at all, are just a mildtransient weather system and takes no action. While the neighbor is ableto seek shelter just prior to the tornado, his vehicles are left outsideand severely damaged. The above scenarios involve pre-peril orpre-incident scenarios. In both of these scenarios, benefits to multipleactors accrue. The policyholder is given at minimum peace-of-mind as tothreatening weather events regarding his property, and at maximum isable to minimize if not eliminate damage to his property. The insurancecompany is at minimum able to build good-will with his policyholdercustomer, which may translate to the purchase of additional or expandedinsurance policies, and at maximum reduce his policy payout as assetswere proactively sheltered and protected from damage. And agents of theinsurance company will feel proud of the pro-active job their employeris doing for its customers, therein raising employee agent satisfactionand perhaps translating into increased employee retention and thusreduced labor costs.

As a further illustration of the application of the invention and itsbenefits, the increased communication provided by the invention alsoallows, for example, an insurance company to more pro-actively andefficiently manage after-peril “incident management” activities. Forexample, with the increased knowledge of the storm track and/or earlywarning of the storm, the insurance company may contact repaircontractors (e.g. roofing companies) to be positioned for early repairafter the storm passes, or might pro-actively place orders for roofingsupplies (e.g. shingles) well before damage has accrued, therebyensuring that roofing repairs will be timely. Such supplies could alsobe pre-positioned at a nearby but safe location until the storm passes.Again, the benefits are numerous and attach to multiple stakeholders oractors. For example, the policyholder is more satisfied because his roofwas repaired more quickly, and the insurance company accrues benefits ofgreater negotiating leverage (and thus lower prices) by orderingsupplies earlier while they are in abundant supply.

It is illustrative to consider an after-peril, or so-called incidentmanagement, scenario with and without the invention. After a significantincident of peril, for example the afore-mentioned hail storm, it istypical for a wave of policyholders to contact their insurance agent tofile an insurance claim. Some policyholders will solely call theiragent, some will physically arrive at the agent's office, and some willdo both. In any case, the agent will typically be overwhelmed withinsurance claims presented by policyholders. The environment willcommonly become tense, because the policyholders have suffered someloss, typically at least to property but sometimes injury or death tofamily members or neighbors, and the agent is unable to process theclaims in a timely manner. In contrast, the invention in certainembodiments, may allow the policyholder to electronically submit hisclaim to the agent and/or directly to the insurance company. A directsubmission to the insurance company may be provided in an embodiment ofthe invention in which the invention determines that the policyholderindeed was within the corridor of storm damage and the associatedrequired coverage data is valid (e.g. number and types of vehicles), andthe policy holder simply needs to attest to the damage. The benefits ofthe application of the invention in such a scenario include more-timelyfiling of all policy holder claims—those filed immediately via theinvention clearly are expedited but also those not filed via theinvention receive quicker processing because the total number of claimsso traditionally processed has decreased. Such reduced processing timeincreases policyholder satisfaction, which, as stated above, maytranslate to the purchase of additional or expanded insurance policies.Also, agents of the insurance company will feel proud of the pro-activejob their employer is doing for its customers, therein raising employeeagent satisfaction and perhaps translating into increased employeeretention and thus reduced labor costs. Further, the agents are able todirect more of their time on sales of new or expanded insurance policiesand less on claims processing. It is also likely that data-entry errorsin submitted claims will be reduced when the invention is utilized, asless human (e.g. insurance agent) data entry is required. Lastly, claimprocessing will realize efficiencies generated by identifying claimsthat are more complex (e.g. due to variety of properties covered, thosewith special terms and conditions) as enabled by more accurate,comprehensive and timely presentation of claims. Such claim processingefficiencies will be significant, because it has been estimated thattypically twenty percent (20%) of claims drive approximately eightypercent (80%) of insurance losses and expenses. In certain embodimentsof the present invention, actors such as the insured are empowered tocontact others to act on their behalf, i.e. they are able to designatean agent. For example, with respect to the aforementioned hurricaneevent, if the policyholder is unable to perform a specific act (e.g. heis out of town on vacation) such as driving a vehicle into a protectedarea, the policyholder may contact a friend or family member to securethe vehicle into a protected area.

In other examples, the insured can provide instructions thatconfidential entrance or security codes may be accessed by firstresponders to facilitate entry onto an insured's premises to save livesor property. For example, in the event of a fire approaching one'sresidence, the distant owner could have provided the agent withpre-approval to access security codes so that firemen or police officersor other responders could enter the premises to recover valuables beforethe dwelling is destroyed or injuries occur. Similar pre-approvedinstructions as to how emergency events are to be addressed is anelement of various aspects of the present invention, as this providesfar more efficient attention to property and life-saving measures thatbenefit both the insured and the insurance company. Security alarmcompanies may, therefore, be provided with instructions to communicatecode information to first responders so that an insured's interests areaddressed, even if the insured is unable to actively participateappropriately during the temporal emergency.

In one embodiment, the level of responsiveness of a policyholder ismonitored and used to assign a responsiveness index or measure to aparticular policyholder. For example, the responsiveness index may bethe percentage of times a policyholder was deemed to have adequatelyresponded to a notice by the system or an action requested by thesystem. Adequate may be satisfied by responding within a set time frame.Further, the responsiveness index may be correlated with apolicyholder's membership status in a preferred membership program, suchas Gold, Silver, Bronze or non-member level, respectively consideredhigh to low status levels. For example, a Gold member may need only havea 50% or better responsiveness index to be deemed responsive, whereas aSilver member may need 60% or better, a Bronze member 70% or better anda non-member 90% or better. Also, the responsiveness index, ascorrelated with membership status, may be used to determine the statusof an insurance claim for an insured asset as at least one of a)approved, b) conditionally approved, and c) denied. That is, if aparticular policyholder's responsiveness is deemed responsive, hisinsurance claim may be immediately approved and the system takes actionto so inform or notice the policyholder. In contrast, if a particularpolicyholder's responsiveness is deemed non-responsive, his insuranceclaim may be immediately denied and the system takes action to so informor notice the policyholder. In certain embodiments of the presentinvention, some or all of the communications between participants oractors occur simultaneously or near-simultaneously and/or synchronouslyor near-synchronously. For example, a warning regarding a hurricanethreat may be noticed or broadcast to all or nearly all actors at thesame time thereby providing a real-time or near real-time warning. Otheractors may be able to query or simply passively receive notice that oneor more other actors have received and/or read the notice. Similarly, asan example of a post-peril scenario, when a policyholder files a claimall or some other actors are noticed of the claim filing in asimultaneous or near-simultaneous and/or synchronous or near-synchronousmanner.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, some or all of thecommunications between participants or actors occur in sequence and/orasynchronously. That is, one actor is noticed and then others arenoticed in a defined sequence.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, some communicationsbetween participants or actors occur in a simultaneous ornear-simultaneous and/or synchronous or near-synchronous manner andother communications occur in a sequence and/or asynchronously.

Certain embodiments of the present invention involve a system and methodwhere re-insurers interact with insurance actors, such as insurancecompanies, in order to better utilize each others' expertise andresources in order to mitigate loss due to peril, as well as promotegood will and company loyalty and reputation with policyholders. Bydoing so, re-insurers can dictate to their respective insurancecompanies several “best practices” to be followed in order to achievethese objectives, and ultimately to avoid payout of proceeds, reduce thenumber and extent of claims and thereby increase economic efficienciesof the re-insurance operations.

In certain embodiments of the invention, insurers interact with thesystem by employing certain re-insurance information in a coordinatedfashion with other insurance companies (as dictated by the re-insurer)and various aspects of the present invention are thus directed totechnology that permits such coordinated communications. In such amanner, the re-insurer can govern how best to broadly assess andfacilitate risk plans in a fashion that reduces internal and recurringcosts, while preserving valuable revenues for other uses. Thus, in oneembodiment, a re-insurer coordinates between at least two otherinsurance companies certain procedures that will be followed inpredicting the severity of a catastrophic event and peril, as well ashow pre-peril conduct on behalf of the insurance representatives willresult in overall reduction in property damage, and thus claims madeagainst the insurance companies.

Re-insurers have significant data relating to catastrophic events andperil and can use such data to analyze and project the occurrence,predict the severity and create models of catastrophic events and otherperil. Such data can be used in unique ways to coordinate efforts andprocedures employed by insurance companies so that they are better ableto manage risk and minimize loss due to peril. Re-insures can use suchdata to create and fine-tune re-insurance policies so as to better helpspread the loss due to peril.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,280,920 issued to Whiteside et al.(“Whiteside”), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,involves an earthquake forecasting system that collects data in adatabase to used to determine the probability and magnitude of anearthquake in an area of interest, and create an alert of a possibleearthquake, including alerting users of the system of a potentialearthquake in areas of interest selected by the user. Whiteside alsodiscusses the potential to mitigate certain losses due to earthquakesbased on the predicted earthquakes.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,783,673 issued to Schneider et al. (“Schneider”),incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and assigned to SwissReinsurance Company pertains to a system and a method of detectingemerging risks in various systems and relating the detected risk and itsrelative impact on a system or a product such as an insured asset.Schneider describes a system and a method that facilitates the exchangeand collection of information regarding perceptions of recognized andnewly emerging risks over multiple defined geographical areas. Schneiderrecognizes that relating a detected emerging risk to its relative impactfacilitates a timely set up of precautions and preventive measure inpreparation of the impending consequences. Schneider also recognizesthat detecting emerging risk to its relative impact on an insuranceproduct makes it possible to assess the consequences of undesired orcritical states and events associated with the particular risk for theinsurance product itself, such as the number and amount of insuranceclaims that would need to be paid. Although Schneider describes a systemand method that provides an output that may include an instructionrelated to preventative or recovery measures in an external system,Schneider does not provide for comprehensive management and the mostefficient and cost effective response to those instructions. Certainembodiments of the present invention create an integrated real-timesystem that not only may include an instruction related to preventativeor recovery measures, but also the appropriate actions, and ways toensure and incentivize compliance.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,024,205 issued to Bresch et al. (“Bresch”), incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety, and assigned to Swiss ReinsuranceCompany pertains to a system and method for calculating damage as aresult of natural catastrophes and associating insured objects with arisk type and geographical risk area for a risk group, and usesinformation such as data related to natural catastrophes.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US 2008/010384, by Lewis et al. (“Lewis”),incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, pertains to a methodof providing re-insurance coverage by adding different types of coveragenot typically included in a re-insurance policy agreement.

International Application No. W02004059420, by Dyrnaes et al.(“Dyrnaes”) incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, pertainsto a technique for providing real-time analysis to provide underwritingbased on location of coverage, taking into account factors such as riskof fire, release of hazardous materials, and other causes of peril.

European Patent Publication No. EP2461286, by Aebischer et al.(“Aebischer”) incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, pertainsa method and system for predicting how often loss may occur in thefuture and how to then address loss after a perilous event.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US 2002/0046066, by Laurenzano, incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety, pertains a method to manage risk of lossby determining an amount of unrealized economic benefit and reducing theamount of indemnification by the amount determined By way of providingadditional background, context, and to further satisfy the writtendescription requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112, the following references areincorporated by reference in their entireties for the express purpose ofexplaining the nature of the re-insurance contracts and methods tofurther describe the various systems, sub-systems, tools and componentscommonly associated therewith: U.S. Pat. No. 8,229,772 issued to Tran etal. on Jul. 24, 2012; U.S. Pat. No. 8,219,425 issued to Thomas et al. onJul. 10, 2012; U.S. Pat. No. 7,860,734 issued to Solanki et al. on Dec.28, 2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,844.528 issued to Ziade et al. on Nov. 30,2010; U.S. Pat. No. 7,693,731 issued to Weber et al. on Apr. 6, 2010;U.S. Pat. No. issued to Chen et al. on Apr. 27, 2010; and U.S. Pat. No.7,315,842 issued to Wang on Jan. 1, 2008.

In certain embodiments, the re-insurers interact with cedants to takepreventative measures, such as having the insurance agent contactpolicyholders to warn them of impending peril, including where suchperil is believed to be most severe and cause the most damage, such thatthe policy holder can individually take preventative measures tomitigate the severity of loss in the areas that are most likelyaffected.

In certain embodiments, re-insurers inform agents that peril is imminentand the agent should contact policyholders to take potential damagemitigation activities. An agent then apprises the policyholder thatperil is imminent. Re-insurer, agent and policyholder all coordinatetheir interactions to determine the appropriate potential damagemitigation activities appropriate for the particular circumstances,depending on the peril.

For example, in the event of a tornado, re-insurers can utilize dataregarding prediction and mitigation, to determine the probability andseverity of damage likely to be caused by a tornado in a particulararea. The re-insurers then contact cedants local or close to the areawhere the tornado is predicted to do the most damage to notify thecedants of the peril. Then, the cedants, having local resources, cannotify the policy holders to take the appropriate actions to mitigateloss due to the tornado. Policyholders therefore benefit from lossprevention, insurers benefit from having to pay out less, andre-insurers benefit because peril that would have once triggered there-insurance policy will now have been mitigated and the re-insurancepolicy is not triggered. Mitigation responders could also interact withpolicyholders and agents to also determine appropriate potential damagemitigation activities to be taken by mitigation responders.

Traditionally, re-insurers use tools that focus on mitigating loss byanticipating peril that may happen at some unknown time in the future.In certain embodiments, re-insurers are able to utilize the resources ofcedants, who may be better equipped to contact the policyholder thatowns the assets in peril. Thus, re-insurers have another avenue tomitigate loss due to peril, even as the peril is occurring in real time.By adding this dynamic to the loss mitigation strategy, re-insurers caneliminate inefficiencies and waste that results from being “overlypro-active,” i.e. peril never occurring, or alternatively, being solelyreactive and relegated to fixing damage only after a loss has occurred.

In other embodiments, insurance companies can provide the informationregarding the amount of benefits paid to policy holders who use thesystem and method described in the present invention to help re-insurersfurther refine their policies. The information may include the amount ofmoney and resources saved by use of the system and method describedherein. The reciprocal nature of the sharing of information andresources helps refine the types of policies offered by each, and thesavings can thus lower premiums for the policyholders.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a request forverification that such communication was made, with a policyholderproactively responding to an insurance agent's request that thepolicyholder confirm that information has been received. Such averification and/or confirmation step may be particularly important invarious regards, including prevention of fraud by policyholders thatwrongfully later contend that no pre-warning of an imminent threat of anatural disaster was ever made by the insurance company or insuranceagent, and thus, for example, a car was left in a driveway outside acovered garage and therefore suffered damage. If the insurance companyand/or insurance agent can verify that a communication was made directlyto the policyholder to mitigate perceived imminent damage to such avehicle by merely pulling the vehicle into a covered garage, theinsurance company and/or insurance agent can better assess whether, forexample, the policyholder may have purposefully left a valuable insureditem in harm's way. In such a manner, such verification and confirmationsteps can be employed by an insurance company to further reduce itsresponsibility to cover certain claims that should not properly becovered due to the insured's failure to properly mitigate damages.

Similarly, other verification steps, such as satellite imagery fromGoogle Earth, surveillance cameras, private or commercial securitysystems or cameras, etc. can be employed to determine the timing of whencommunications were made and what conduct the insured may have taken ornot taken to avoid claims being made on the policy that could haveotherwise been avoided. Such method can be used to investigate fraud(e.g., a policy holder purposefully pulling a car out to get damaged byhail).

Thus, in one embodiment, the insured is provided with a financialincentive (e.g. reduced premiums, etc) to have installed surveillancecameras in predetermined and mutually agreeable areas (e.g.understanding of placement of cameras between the insured and theinsurance agent on particular residence areas where losses may bedetermined to possibly occur in the future) so that a visual record ofevents can be provided to assess losses, verify particular conduct (e.g.the pulling of a car into a garage prior to a storm), etc. that can beused in confirmation, verification and compliance steps of the variousinventive methods as set forth herein.

From a more positive perspective, an insured should feel that itslegitimate interests in protecting its property are being monitored bythe insurance agency or insurance agent by virtue of the agent makingproactive contact with the insured to attempt to secure and protectpersons and properties subject to damage from impending natural events.Thus, legitimate policyholders will appreciate the benefits provided bythe present invention while dishonest policyholders that attempt toimproperly make claims on a property and/or person damaged that couldhave easily and readily avoided, can be discerned and dealt withappropriately.

In certain embodiments of the invention, covered assets where risk ofloss can be minimized by preventative measures are clearly detailed inthe policy. Tracey describes a system where customers can log onto a webportal and enter information about their business. The customers canthen select whether they would like to select particular theftprevention expertise and technologies, or whether the system shouldautomatically select what it considers based on the customer'sinformation. The features can be shown to effectively reduce the risk ofloss, and correspondingly provide a premium reduction to the customers.Tracey's system, however, does not provide a real-time interactionbetween actors and does not address reducing inefficiencies andrehabilitating reputation related to what has become an adversarialinteraction between policyholder and agent or adjuster.

In embodiments of the present invention, if the insured confirms certaindamage mitigation actions were taken, disputes regarding policy coverageof these particular items are minimized, addressing the current problemsnot addressed in the prior art such as the often adversarial “back andforth” between the policy holder and the insurance agent as to whetherthe items are covered in the event of peril. The insured can avoid theuncertainty and hassle of an insurance company disputing whether theloss is covered under the insurance policy simply by confirming that theinsured received the notification and took the appropriate action. Thus,in the event the preventative measures did not completely eliminate theloss, there is no question that whatever loss resulted due to the perilis covered by the insurance policy. In these embodiments, the insurancecompany can be assuaged of fears of insurance fraud, because the insuredmade an affirmative representation that they received notification andtook such appropriate measures.

As one can understand, the present invention is more globally directedto a “kinder and gentler” approach to addressing catastrophic events ina manner such that the traditional, but potentially adversarialrelationship between a policyholder and an insurance company in themidst and directly after a catastrophic event is avoided. Instead, therelationship between the policyholder and its insurance company isfostered through prompt, informative and beneficial communications madeto the policyholders so that damages experienced by the policyholder,and consequently claims made upon the insurance company, are vastlyreduced. Instilling such a business model into existing insurancecompany industry standards is projected to provide enormous savings toclaims made to policies, the entire insurance defense industry relatingto the handling of claims, the enhancement of the policyholder/insurancecompany relationship, the ability to reduce premiums given that the riskbenefit analysis algorithms will be significantly and beneficiallymodified so that insurance companies can better assess damage toparticular properties after obtaining nearly real time communications asto the protection of particular insured items.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,219,425 issued to Thomas et al. on Jul. 10,2012 (“Thomas”) incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,recognizes that there are significant costs to insurers regarding lossadjustment expenses and significant costs to policy holders expended ingetting coverage, substantiating their losses, and providing that thoselosses were covered under the insurance policies. Thomas teaches amethod and system where parties can reduce costs by providing aninsurance policy that is better tailored to the parties needs byreferencing payments on insurance policies, and including reinsurancepolicies to determine the needs of the insured party. Thomas isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

In one embodiment of the invention, improved effectiveness and/orefficiencies are achieved through more timely and/or comprehensive dataexchange between parties involved in after-peril (i.e. incidentmanagement) activities. By way of example, consider a scenario in whicha severe storm has knocked-out power to a residential area and emergencyresponders have been called to the area to investigate a gas leak. Mostresidents have evacuated the area. The area is a gated community inwhich most homes have security systems with attendant alarms. Theemergency responders begin to narrow-in on the source of the leak and,unable to contact the homeowners, begin to destructively enter the homesto investigate. In contrast, those homeowners who are participants inthe method and/or systems of the present invention are notified of theemergency (by any of various means of communication to include cellphone, instant message, e-mail as known to those skilled in the art) andsimply asked to authorize a shut-off of their alarm system, or releaseof the security code to the emergency responders, or similar so that theemergency responders are able to gain non-destructive access to thehome. Further, the invention could authorize and provide a floor plan ofthe home to the emergency responders, such that if a fire were to erupt(e.g. precipitated by the gas leak explosion), the emergency personnelwill be effective in combating the fire. As such, benefits to thehomeowner and insurance company accrue, such as cost and time savings innot having to repair a broken-in door, mitigation of fire damage, andincreased safety to fire fighting personnel in having a floor-plan of afire-engulfed home prior to entry.

In one embodiment, a security code is transmitted between actorscomprising a plurality of alphanumeric characters, numbers, and letters.In one embodiment, the security code comprises four alphanumericcharacters, four numbers and/or four letters.

In one embodiment, the insured provides pre-instructions to releasehis/her code to the insurance agent, (which may be rendered additionallytime sensitive and/or renewable so as to require updating to ensureon-going consent in the event situations change in the future) who isauthorized to then communicate the same to first responders such thataccess to a dwelling or property can be achieved. In addition, furtherinstructions as to what is permitted or not permitted may be provided bythe insured under such circumstances such that the insured is providedwith a customized response in the event of future potential episodeswhere property or lives are at risk. This pro-active communication andintegration of insurance agents into the practical lives of an insuredis one aspect of the present invention in its various embodiments,implemented in a fashion such that immediacy of action and thus savingof valuable assets and lives, is achieved.

In another embodiment, the system and method for comprehensivemanagement and minimization of insurance loss is applied to health care.More specifically, in one embodiment of the invention, a system andmethod for comprehensive management and minimization of health carecosts is provided.

The cost of providing health care to our society has mushroomed inrecent years, exceeding the capacity of governments and privateinstitutions to adequately finance such cost. Consequently, the budgetsallotted to health care facilities of all kinds, both public andprivate, are under continuous pressure in this era of fiscal restraint.In an effort to provide adequate service to the public yet conservefinancial resources, it is highly desirable to comprehensively managethe allocation of health care resources and the interactions of theactors involved, such as the health care-provider, the health-careinsurer, and the patient or party seeking engagement with the healthcare system. What is needed is a comprehensive system and method ofmonitoring activities that impact health care costs, assessing possibleactions to mitigate the impact of such activities or stop them, andexecuting recommended actions by providing the health care actors withtimely and relevant information and empowering them to take action.

Traditional approaches to minimization of health care costs and/ormaximization of efficiency have focused on a reduced set of health caresystem components and empower only a selected set of actors. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,345 to McCartney (“McCartney”) incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety, provides a method and system forevaluating health care provider performance, forecasting health careresource consumption on a macroeconomic scale, and optimizing theallocation of health care resource. The method includes the steps of a)providing patient discharge data which includes an address fieldindicating one of a plurality of micro-geographical areas (MGAs) whereina patient resides, b) establishing a referral population for a subjecthealth care provider based upon the market share it has for each cohortin each MGA, c) calculating occurrence rates of medical service demandfor the referral population, d) providing and applying population growthfactors to the referral population thereby projecting it to a futuretime, e) applying the occurrence rates to the projected referralpopulation thereby forecasting the consumption of health resources, andf) allocating health care resources in accordance with the forecast. Theinvention can also factor into the forecast the expected caseload demandfrom undeveloped or proposed communities. Finally, the inventionprovides for a method for efficiently allocating health resourcesamongst neighboring health care providers, based on either current orforecasted medical service demand data. McCartney focuses on the healthcare provider and does not provide for comprehensive management andminimization of health care costs.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0262436 published to Chen, incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety, provides an integrated medical informationmanagement system. The Chen system allows users or patients to managetheir own medical information worldwide in a portable device to enhancemedication adherence and self-management of personalized health care. Amulti-functional medical information center is developed to managemedical information received from various resources and operated at acost-effective manner for stakeholders. In addition, the quality controlof medical data management is guarded by side-by-side comparisontechnology to warn inconsistent information in medical billing historyto prevent medical insurance fraudulent claims. The Chen system isfocused on patient medical information and does not provide forcomprehensive management and minimization of health care costs.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,036,915 to Kremer (“Kremer”) incorporated herein byreference in its entirety, provides a system and method that employsstandardized data collection forms for use by health care providers andpatients to enable efficient collection, storage and management ofpatient data for treatment of diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.Kremer does not provide for comprehensive management and minimization ofhealth care costs.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,044 to Leatherman (“Leatherman”) incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety, provides a software-based medicalinformation system which performs a method of analyzing health careclaims records for an enrolled population (e.g., HMO, Medicaid) toassess and report on quality of care based on conformance to nationallyrecognized medical practice guidelines or quality indicators. The systemanalyzes health care received by enrollees having a specified healthcare condition by: providing to the system health care claims recordsfor a selected enrollee population; defining at least one health carecondition in terms of health care events reportable in health careclaims records; identifying in the health care claims records thoseenrollees meeting the definition for that health care condition;defining health care quality criteria for that health care condition interms of health care events reportable in health care claims records;comparing the health care quality criteria for the at least one healthcare condition to the health care claims records for at least a portionof those enrollees meeting the definition for that health carecondition; and developing and outputting from the system a health carequality report based on the comparison and formulating actionrecommendations to improve care. The Leatherman system concentrates onproviding a means to supplement claims data with data from patientmedical records. Leatherman does not provide for comprehensivemanagement and minimization of health care costs.

By way of providing additional background, context, and to furthersatisfy the written description requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112 withrespect to the embodiment of the invention regarding a system and methodfor comprehensive management and minimization of health care costs, thefollowing references are incorporated by reference in their entiretiesfor the express purpose of explaining the nature of the health careprocesses and methods to further describe the various systems,sub-systems, tools and components commonly associated therewith: U.S.Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0216938 published to Shour on Nov. 20, 2003 and U.S.Pat. No. 7,693,728 to Underwood.

By way of example to illustrate the embodiment of the invention in whichthe system and method for comprehensive management and minimization ofinsurance loss is applied to health care, the following example isprovided. Consider a scenario in which Patient has elevated cholesteroland is over-weight. The Patient carries health insurance as provided byhealth insurance Agent. Patient has been prescribed by his treatingPhysician to take a daily medication of a statin such as Lipitor™ asfilled by Pharmacist, instructed to obtain a monthly cholesterol bloodtest at Clinic and to exercise at least 30 minutes per day at Gym. Theactors involved in this scenario are Patient, Physician, Clinic,Pharmacist, Gym and Agent. Here, the “peril” is an increased risk ofharm, such as a stroke or death, if Patient does not follow the abovedescribed regimen The Surveillance and Monitoring Module (SMM) wouldrecord Patient attendance and participation at Gym. For example,recordings of Gym pass entry time and exit time may be recorded, but mayalso include time on treadmill and intensity of workout. TheSurveillance and Monitoring Module may also record whether Patientrefilled his statin via Pharmacist at the proper time, that is, beforehis current allotment of medication was emptied, whether Patientattended his scheduled monthly blood test, and record any othermedications obtained. The results of the blood test are also provided tothe Surveillance and Monitoring Module.

At the Action Assessment Module (AAM), data gathered by the Surveillanceand Monitoring Module is analyzed. If additional data is sought by theAAM, such requests are sent from the AAM to the SMM. The ActionAssessment Module will analyze the data provided by the SMM, as well asstatic data such as one or more tables of risk, to determine if anyaction is required to mitigate the peril. A table of risk may providethat one missed Gym session every five days is of low peril and requiresno action, whereas a missed prescription refill may indicate moderateperil. Similarly, a relatively poor blood test result may indicate highperil and require action. The AAM may also determine if there are anyconflicts between or concerns with the medications that the Patient hasobtained, which in some situations could generate a warning to Patientas to use.

The Action Execution Module (AEM) will receive input from the ActionAssessment Module and implement the action. For example, perhaps Patienthas missed three Gym sessions in a row and has neglected to refill hismonthly prescription. The AAM may assess such a set of facts as placingPatient in moderate peril and determine that a call or text to Patientquerying him as to his conduct is a recommended action. The AEM willthen automatically text the Patient or task Agent to call Patient.

This scenario also has potential to align interest and/or incentives ofthe actors involved. For example, Patient is assumed to be motivated tominimize his peril and undoubtedly is motivated to reduce his healthinsurance premium to Agent. Agent is interested in a healthy andlong-term insurance client who will not only continue as a healthinsurance client, but also, for example, as a property and casualtyclient under a different policy. As such, the Agent may offer afinancial discount, perhaps 5% discount on premium, if patient enrollsin the system described above. However, enrollment would require theautomatic monitoring of Patient's attendance and participation at Gym,participation in regular blood testing and sharing of status ofprescription refills. Thus, a comprehensive management and minimizationof health care costs is provided.

In another embodiment, the system and method for comprehensivemanagement and minimization of insurance loss is applied to theconstruction industry. More specifically, in one embodiment of theinvention, a system and method for comprehensive management of aconstruction project so as to minimize construction costs and/orfinancial risks and/or construction site losses is provided.

Many disparate parties with specialized interests, risks and rewards areinvolved in construction projects. Different sets of parties areconsidered when analyzing or considering a particular constructionproject, depending on the area of interest or emphasis. Interactionsbetween the designated parties may vary widely between formal contractsand informal agreements. Incentives and penalties may also vary inseverity and metrics.

When analyzing the project nature of a construction project, i.e.project construction management, three parties are typically considered:the property owner, the designer/architect/engineer and the buildera.k.a. general contractor. Traditionally, there are two principalcontracts between these parties as they work together to plan, design,and construct the project. The first contract is the owner-designercontract, which involves planning, design, and constructionadministration. The second contract is the owner-contractor contract,which involves construction. An indirect, third-party relationshipexists between the designer and the contractor due to these twocontracts. An alternate contract or business model replaces the twotraditional contracts with three contracts: owner-designer,owner-construction project manager, and owner-builder. The constructionproject management company becomes an additional party engaged in theproject to act as an adviser to the owner, to which they arecontractually tied. The construction manager's role is to provideconstruction advice to the designer, on the owner's behalf, designadvice to the constructor, again on the owner's behalf, and other adviceas necessary. The mechanics of project management for constructionprojects have traditionally involved tracking of milestones and metricsassociated with a defined work breakdown structure. Periodic workinspections are performed to allowing tracking of project progress.Formal change orders are commonly used to adjust activities andresources. See, for example, Construction Management, The Architect'sHandbook of Professional Practice, Robert C. Mutchler and Christopher R.Widener, 13th edition, 2000, The American Institute of Architects foradditional discussion.

When analyzing financial costs, risks and rewards in a constructionproject, principal actors include the bank, an insurance company, aconstruction bonding agent, a contractor/builder, and an insuranceinspector.

Construction insurances are required on every large constructionproject. Construction insurances can provide coverage for material,risks, natural disasters and employees. A construction bond minimizesthe financial risk faced by project owners and developers in theconstruction industry. The bond is similar to an insurance policy, butactually goes a step further to provide a legal guarantee. Theconstruction bond, a type of surety bond, guarantees that the contractorholding the bond will perform a specified obligation or face financialpenalties. It can protect, for example, against an adverse event thatcauses disruptions, failure to complete the project due to insolvency ofthe builder(s), or the job's failure to meet contract specifications.Surety companies will evaluate the financial merits of the principalbuilder and charge a premium according to their calculated likelihoodthat an adverse event will occur. The price of the bond generallydepends on factors such as the type of work performed and the risksassociated with the work. Contractors are typically required to purchasesurety construction bonds.

The surety promises the obligee that the contractor will do the work asagreed. He agrees to takes responsibility if the contractor fails tokeep to the terms of the contract by compensating the obligeemonetarily, up to an agreed-upon certain sum. The surety wantscompensation for assuming the risk involved in the contract, and thecontractor needs to pay for the bond. The construction bonding agentbecomes responsible for carrying out the work or paying for the loss upto the bond “penalty” if the contractor fails to perform.

The complexity and associated risk in the financial management ofconstruction projects continues to increase due to, for example,tightened construction schedules, just-in-time inventory paradigms, andincreased labor costs. Although progress has been made in thetraditional mechanics of construction project management, littleadvancement has been made in managing or even structuring therelationships between the principal actors involved in driving thesignificant financial costs, risks and rewards in a constructionproject. In an effort to provide comprehensive management of aconstruction project so as to minimize construction costs and/orfinancial risks, it is highly desirable to comprehensively manage theallocation of financial resources, risks, incentives and interactions ofthe construction project financial actors involved, to include the bank,the insurance company, the construction bonding agent, thecontractor/builder, and the insurance inspector. What is needed is acomprehensive system and method of monitoring activities that impactconstruction project cost, assessing possible actions to mitigate theimpact of such activities or stop them, and executing recommendedactions by providing the construction project financial actors withtimely and relevant information and empowering them to take action.

Traditional approaches to the management of a construction project havefocused on a single or limited set of interactions between constructionproject actors and/or have not provided an aligned or consistent set ofgoals or incentives to the disparate actors involved. Most effort hasfocused on traditional mechanics of project management or limitedportions of construction management, such as construction costestimating, the construction bidding process, electronic means to gatherand distribute project construction data, and electronic management ofconstruction requirements.

For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0261930published to Litz (“Litz”) provides a method and system for constructionestimating. The method includes the steps of: (a) compiling constructionactivity data in a database, (b) categorizing the data in the databaseaccording to construction related parameters, and (c) employing adatabase analysis and reporting system to construction estimating. Acomprehensive and organized construction-estimating database forconstruction estimating professionals, construction service businessowners, and for suppliers of general contractors, construction managers,construction developers and architects is provided. Litz is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,330,821 to Wares (“Wares”) provides an integratedelectronic commerce based construction industry bidding and projectmanagement system and method, including document distribution, supplychain automation and on-line auctioning. In a pre-construction setting,the e-commerce based bidding and project management system and methodprovides for a user the means for participating and competing in thebidding and construction project management tasks using on-linecomputerized telecommunications technologies. The on-line system andmethodologies help the participants to achieve cost efficiencies andperformance enhancements that traditional manual bidding andconstruction management systems and methods have not achieved. In aglobal system setting the Wares system and method facilitates managementof real estate, development, building and construction industries,including architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) projectphases, including design, specification, research, bidding, financing,procurement, construction, and maintenance. Wares is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2006/0015475 published to Birkner (“Birkner”)provides a construction management system comprising a handheld computeradapted to collect construction data including an inspection checklistfrom the field; a planning system to track budgetary information; adesign system to perform site engineering assessment; and a constructionsystem to track material consumption and progress for each project, theconstruction system adapted to receive data collected from the handheldcomputer. Birkner is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2007/0005412 published to Martinez (“Martinez”)provides a construction management system comprising a handheld computeradapted to collect construction data from the field and to check fieldwork with a checklist using the handheld computer. Construction itemspecifications outline workmanship and testing requirements. The use ofa predetermined checklist facilitates and provides consistency to theworkmanship inspection and audit activities. The use of the handheldcomputer with predetermined sampling and testing reports simplifies andimproves the accuracy and efficiency of material testing activities. Thechecklist operations include selecting an item to be checked from a menuof construction items and formulating into required questions; providingelectronic checklists; entering one or more key fields for an item andinspector name; locating information for certain fields based on keyfields and automatically filling the fields; displaying a sequence ofquestions and collecting answers relating to a checklist for the item;capturing a signature from an inspector; and uploading the checklistinformation to a server. Martinez is incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0173582 published to Han (“Han”) provides areal-time construction productivity analyzing apparatus and method usingan RFID based on wireless communication. The apparatus and method canprovide a systematic construction management system through thereal-time productivity analysis and the real-time monitoring for eachprocess of the construction field, and can detect aproductivity-reducing factor in real time by integrating IT fields suchas wireless communication technology and RFID technology, so that thenear target productivity can be achieved by prompt treatment. Thereal-time construction productivity analyzing apparatus includes: anRFID tag including an ID code for identification of each equipment forconstruction work and attached to each equipment; a tag data managementdevice for reading the ID code of the RFID tag in order to check a cycletime of each equipment in each process of the construction work,integrating the read time and position of the RFID tag and the ID codedata of the RFID tag, and transmitting the integrated data; a centralserver for receiving the time and position data and the ID code of theRFID tag from the tag data management device and updating the data inreal time to monitor the productivity in real time; and a database forstoring the pre-stored data and the real-time input data of the centralserver. Han is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Toward improved management of the financial drivers of constructionmanagement, U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,584 to Helitzer (“Helitzer I”) and U.S.Pat. No. 8,271,303 to Helitzer (“Helitzer II”) provide a method andcomputerized system for managing the underwriting, quoting and bindingof an insurance policy with regard to the technology used to militateagainst the financial consequences of property losses. The systemutilizes a classifier for categorizing and weighing risk, composed ofdata represented in an identified building, a first unmitigatedinsurance risk and a second insurance risk, based upon the use ofcertain technology. A plurality of the weights are summed such that theweights generate a minimized risk for a building structure underconsideration and permit an underwriter to establish a premium. Inanother aspect of the invention, data structures representing thequantification of risk reduction attendant a given technology or productare chained into a plurality of decision trees that process aconstruction phase and a pruning phase. Helitzer I and Helitzer II areincorporated by reference in their entireties.

By way of providing additional background, context, and to furthersatisfy the written description requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112 withrespect to the embodiment of the invention regarding a system and methodfor comprehensive construction management, the following references areincorporated by reference in their entireties for the express purpose ofexplaining the nature of the construction management processes andmethods to further describe the various systems, sub-systems, tools andcomponents commonly associated therewith: U.S. Pat. Pub. No.2009/0048899 published to Bender on Feb. 19, 2009 and U.S. Pat. No.7,899,739 to Allin.

By way of example to illustrate the embodiment of the invention in whichthe system and method for management and minimization of insurance lossis applied to comprehensive construction management, the followingexample is provided. Consider a scenario in which a construction Projectinvolves principal construction project financial actors of a Bank orsimilar financial institution, an Insurance Company, a constructionBonding Agent, a general Contractor or builder, and an InsuranceInspector.

Typically, each of these actors are provided defined and limited rolesand responsibilities in the construction process, and collect and sharedefined and limited project information that impact risk and/or costs.For example, the Contractor may share data regarding the timeliness andcosts of material required for a particular phase of a project with theBank, so as to ensure timely payment to the Contractor's suppliers or toseek additional finances from the Bank due to an unexpected rise in theprice of a construction commodity such as wood. In contrast, the BondingAgent typically has little to no insight into the performance of theContractor and traditionally has limited to no leverage against theContractor to perform his obligations per the terms of the constructionbond, resulting in the Bonding Agent feeling very financially exposed(as a failure of the Contractor to perform triggers payment of the bondpenalty by the Bonding Agent) with essentially no control of hisdestiny.

Before the construction Project begins (and likely during contractnegotiations), akin to a “pre-incident” or “pre-peril” scenario ofpreviously-discussed embodiments of the System, each of theafore-mentioned principal construction project Financial Actors (i.e.Bank, Insurance Company, Bonding Agent, Contractor and InsuranceInspector) agree to implement and follow the System and method of theinvention which comprises the Surveillance and Monitoring Module (SMM),the Action Assessment Module (AAM), and the Action Execution Module(AEM). More specifically, the Insurance Company would contractuallyrequire that all Financial Actors implement the System as a condition ofcoverage. The Contractor would only receive insurance coverage and meetrequirements for bonding and loans if they implement the System. TheBank as well as the Bonding Agent would similarly only be eligible forand only receive a funding contract or bonding contract, respectively,if they implemented the System. Finally, the Insurance Inspector wouldbe required to monitor Project performance and compliance with insuranceterms and conditions using the System. In this way, each of theFinancial Actors are providing and sharing Project data in a unified andcomprehensive manner, resulting in improved financial control andminimized risk. In addition or as a replacement for requiring the use ofthe System by a particular Financial Actor, incentives could be providedto implement the System, such as listing a particular Bonding Agent as apreferred bonding agent and providing them a 10% discount on theirrequired bonding coverage.

In the above pre-incident temporal context, here before constructioneven begins, benefits would accrue. For example, a common problem inconstruction Projects is the theft or loss of construction equipment,such as construction-grade power generators or cooper wiring. With theSystem as implemented above, requirements for lock-down and securing ofpower generators are put in place, and procedures established thatrequire the Contractor to “check-in” or report the status of each powergenerator periodically during the work hours and perhaps via a nightguard during off-work evening hours. Such status data may be collectedthrough any of several means known to those skilled in the art, toinclude via use of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags affixed tothe power generators and RFID readers and broadcasters fitted to aportable device, such as a smart phone (e.g. iPhone, iPad). These statusdata are immediately shared with all Financial Actors, allowingdecreased risk of theft because, for example, any missed report orerrant report has higher likelihood of corrective action given morestakeholders are aware of the missed or errant report. These status dataare received and processed in the Surveillance and Monitoring Module(SMM) of the System. Similarly, once the construction Project begins,akin to a “during peril” or damage mitigation scenario ofpreviously-discussed embodiments of the System, several benefits couldaccrue. In the situation just described, for example, a missed reportmight trigger an alarm or notice to a watchman to immediatelyinvestigate the power generator at issue, so as to perhaps prevent thetheft (and thereby vitiate the subsequent project delay or disruptioncaused by the loss of a power generator). Here, the missed report wouldbe analyzed in the Action Assessment Module (AAM) to, for example,assess its validity (i.e. was the status report missed due to acommunication glitch or was it to be provided by a guard who called insick that evening, thereby casting doubt that the missed reporttranslates to a stolen power generator). If the AAM determines that anaction is required (e.g. an alarm), such a recommended action isprovided to the Action Execution Module (AEM) for execution.

The temporal aspect of the System could also be viewed from a perincident perspective, rather than by the before, during and afterconstruction perspective. For example, the “incident” or “peril” couldbe defined as the missed delivery of a critical path item to theconstruction project, for example the delivery of air conditioning (AC)units to the job site. Once the incident of the missed delivery occurs(as determined by the Surveillance and Monitoring Module), post-incidentactivities occur among the Financial Actors. Such post-incidentactivities would be assisted by the Action Assessment Module, which may,for example, provide predictive information as to when the missed ACunit will arrive. Empowered by the data of the System as gathered by theSMM and assessed by the AAM, the Insurance Inspector would be able tomore expeditiously physically investigate the circumstances of the delayto determine if the broader impact of the delay to the largerconstruction project is minimal, e.g. a few days, or quite significant,e.g. several weeks, and so inform the other Financial Actors. In thisscenario, if the delay is deemed significant so as to put at risk timelyproject completion and/or Contractor performance to a critical milestone(e.g. all HVAC on-line by a certain date), the Bonding Agent and Bankmay enter negotiations to adjust the terms of the Bonding Agent's suretyagreement so as to adjust the bonded Contractor performance. In such away, financial risk is more manageable as it is becomes more predictablethrough, among other things, the sharing of construction projectinformation among the Financial Actors.

This scenario also has potential to align interest and/or incentives ofthe actors involved. For example, in the above missed AC unit deliveryscenario, the Bonding Agent is motivated to minimize any surety penaltyhe may have to pay to the Bank as a result of Contractor missed ordelayed performance. The Bonding Agent also wants predictability in hisfinancial risk portfolio, so is motivated to “settle” any potentialsurety penalties that might arise. The Bank is motivated to keep theconstruction project on schedule so as to recover its loan based on anoccupancy date or operational date for the construction project. Assuch, both the Bonding Agent and the Bank benefit by the timely,accurate and complete data as provided by the System.

As illustrated in various figures in the present application, flowchartsprovide a general description of the numerous method steps that may beemployed to accomplish one or more of the aspects of the presentinvention. For example, one aspect of many embodiments of the presentinvention involve the ability of an insurance company to reserveparticular desired services that may be particularly needed after acatastrophic event. As such, the insurance company prearranges withdemolition services, car repair services, house repair services, floodabatement services, window replacement services, etc., such that apredetermined percentage of the service providers' capability (orso-called bandwidth) is reserved for the insurance carrier's access inthe event of a catastrophic event. In a particular example, a roofingcompany may agree that 10% of its service capabilities are reserved toState Farm Insurance Company in the event of a hail damage claims beingmade after any particular hail storm. In exchange for agreeing toreserve such percentage of capable work force and materials, theinsurance company pays a predetermined negotiated amount with theroofing company on, for example, a quarterly or yearly basis. In theevent of a catastrophic hail storm, however, State Farm is assured thatit can provide its policyholders with ready access to needed roof repairservices.

In yet other embodiments of the invention, especially when apolicyholder signs up for a particular program with an insurance companywhereby if the policyholder confirms the insurance company'spre-notification to the policyholder of an imminent potentialcatastrophic event, the policyholder is entitled to a particular perk,such as a reduction in future premiums by a certain percentage (e.g.,10% off the next year's premiums); preferential access to serviceproviders that the insurance company prearranged access to services forits policyholders; preferential rates on combined coverage for house,auto, life, disability, etc. In such a manner, the insurance companyprovides a monetary benefit to its policyholders in exchange andconsideration for the policyholder's provision to the insurance companyof valuable information, such as confirmation that the insurancecompany's contacts to the policyholder prior to a catastrophic eventwere received and/or acted upon by the policyholder. Thus, for example,if an insurance company contacts via email its policyholders in aparticular area where a hail storm is predicted to be imminent,informing all such policyholders to store their automobiles protectedunder the policy within a covered enclosure, such as a garage, and thepolicyholder responds via a confirming email that it has moved itsvehicles into a protected area, the insurance company is benefitted byalleviating costly claims for damage that may be otherwise by the hailstorm. The incentive on the policyholder's side is that its premiums maybe reduced and/or one or more of the above-referenced benefits may bemade available to the policyholder in consideration for such cooperativeconduct. Moreover, the policyholder is obviously benefitted bypre-warning of an imminent catastrophic event that would cause damage tothe policyholder's personal belongings (e.g., vehicle) and is thankfulto the insurance company for taking the initiative to forewarn thepolicy of the catastrophic event and the consequential potential damagesthat may ensue therefrom.

As one will appreciate, the recent advances in technology largelyfacilitate the types of communications that undergird many aspects ofthe present invention. For example, the ubiquity of policyholders havingimmediately assess to Smart phones (e.g. iPhone), emails, textmessaging, telephone communications, visual and pictorialrepresentations of before and after events and the condition of insuredproperties, greatly facilitate the preferred communication exchangebetween policyholder and insurance company in a manner thatqualitatively changes the business models of traditional insurancecoverage paradigms.

In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, aprogrammed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integratedcircuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digitalsignal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such asdiscrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array suchas PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means,or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementingthe methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the variousaspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for thedisclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers,handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital,analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Someof these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiplemicroprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and outputdevices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including,but not limited to, distributed processing or component/objectdistributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machineprocessing can also be constructed to implement the methods describedherein.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readilyimplemented in conjunction with software using object or object-orientedsoftware development environments that provide portable source code thatcan be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially orfully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whethersoftware or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance withthis disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirementsof the system, the particular function, and the particular software orhardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems beingutilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partiallyimplemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executedon programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of acontroller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, orthe like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented as program embedded on personal computer such as anapplet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server orcomputer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurementsystem, system component, or the like. The system can also beimplemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into asoftware and/or hardware system.

As one will appreciate, one aspect of various embodiments of the presentinvention involve an agreement by the policyholder to communicate in afar more extensive, prompt and substantive manner with the insurancecompany as to how best to protect insured property prior to and/orduring the catastrophic event at issue. Heretofore, there has been nofinancial incentive for any policyholder to make contact with theirinsurance agent or insurance company just prior to a catastrophic event.By providing such a financial incentive, both the insurance company andthe policyholder are better served and, given the vast scale of theinsurance industry, tremendous amounts of money, capital and resourcesare better directed to serve the legitimate replacement andrehabilitation needs of damage insured properties.

Communications means and protocols may include any known to thoseskilled in the art, to include cellular telephony, internet and otherdata network means such as satellite communications and local areanetworks. As examples, the cellular telephony can comprise a GSM, CDMA,FDMA and/or analog cellular telephony transceiver capable of supportingvoice, multimedia and/or data transfers over a cellular network.Alternatively or in addition, other wireless communications means maycomprise a Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH™, WiMax, infrared, or other wirelesscommunications link to and from devices such as iPhones or othersmartphones and iPads. Cellular telephony and the other wirelesscommunications can each be associated with a shared or a dedicatedantenna. Data input/output and associated ports may be included tosupport communications over wired networks or links, for example withother communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices.Examples of input/output means include an Ethernet port, a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) port, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 1394, or other interface. Communications between variouscomponents can be carried by one or more buses.

Computer processing may include any known to those skilled in the art,to include desktop personal computers, laptops, mainframe computers,mobile devices and other computational devices.

Static policy holder data may include that data known to those skilledin the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,725 issued to Pritchard onJan. 1, 1985 (“Pritchard”) describes a medical claim verification andprocessing system that reads a medical information card (MEDICARD) todetermine a patient's background medical and insurance information. Alocal service provider enters into a local terminal the medical andMEDICARD information services provided or to be provided to the patientby using a patient service code and transmits this information to acentral brokerage computer. The central brokerage computer converts thepatient service code input by the service provider or MEDICARD into aparticular service code for the patient's insurance carrier. Thisservice code is then utilized to determine the insurance claim paymentfor that particular patient service. The claim payment amount for themedical service is then transmitted back to the local entry terminal foruse by the service provider and patient. The service provider andpatient can then determine the amount of payment which will be made forthe particular insurance claim. The provider can then prepare anelectronic claim form and, together with the patient's and/or theprovider's determination whether or not the assignment provision of theinsurance claim will be invoked, the electronic claim form is thentransmitted to a central brokerage computer which in turn transmits theclaim form to the appropriate insurance carrier. The patient's insurancecarrier processes the claim form, and, based upon the assignmentdecision, transfers the payment check to the patient or makes anelectronic funds transfer to an account for the service provider, thepatient or a central brokerage computer. Pritchard is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

Insured policyholder compliance with a directive (from, for example, aclaims center or insurance agent) may be by any of several means knownto those skilled in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US2008/0262883 published to Weiss et al. on Oct. 23, 2008 (“Weiss”)teaches systems and methods for compliance and announcement display andnotification. Weiss is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

User interfaces for various stakeholders and/or participants may be byany of several means known to those skilled in the art. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 65,950,169 issued to Borghesi et al. on Sep. 7, 1999(“Borghesi”) teaches a system and method for managing and processinginsurance claims that implements an object oriented graphic userinterface. The system includes at least one remote computer for enteringand viewing insurance claim information. A wide area network capable ofcommunicating with the remote computer and a computer in communicationwith said wide area network are also included. An insurance datafilegenerated at the remote computer, is transferrable over the network. TheBorghesi method includes the steps of transmitting a claim assignmentfrom an insurance office computer to a mailbox in a communicationsserver, retrieving the assignment at a remote computer and generating aninsurance claim datafile containing all data pertinent to an insuranceclaim and allowing for bidirectional transmission of the datafile over awide area network. A graphic user interface for use in managing aninsurance claim from an initial claim to final settlement is alsoincluded. The interface has common workflow objects such as an in box,an in process box, and an out box, for managing and manipulating one ormore workfiles. Borghesi is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

In some aspects of the invention, relative or absolute location data areutilized. For example, if a specific warning is to be provided to apolicyholder as to re-locate and/or secure a particular insured asset ona large physical property (e.g. a construction site or a ranch),accurate location data is required. These data may be provided in anyformat known to those skilled in the art, to include latitude/longitudecoordinates, measures relative to a known or provided datum associatedwith specialized maps such as those provided by a local municipality,coordinates relative to U.S. government maps such as Digital TerrainElevation Maps, commercial maps such as those provided by Google Earth™and GeoEye™, and data provided by qualitative field reports to includespecified distance from street intersections. The data source mayinclude any of several types known to those skilled in the art, toinclude local field reports gathered by individuals, data gatheredthrough automated means, and data gathered remotely. For example, datasources may include ground-based platforms (a.k.a. “geo platforms”),satellites, and aerial platforms such as airplanes, helicopters, andunmanned aerial vehicles to include remotely-operated or autonomousdrones. Satellite data sources include optical satellites, radarsatellites or other artificial satellites in earth orbit that canprovide either passive or active data. These data may be geospatialpoint data, such as that provided by a government or commerciallyavailable GIS data provider. For example, the United States GeologicalSurvey (USGS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), orDefense Mapping Agency (DMA) could provide such data. Some of these dataare provided free via internet sites. Other data sources, for example,from commercial Geographical Information System (GIS) sources (e.g.GeoEye™) require a service fee.

The software management architecture and means may be of any of severalmeans known to those skilled in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Pub. No.2009/0030910 published to Bennett et al. on Jan. 29, 2009 (“Bennett”)teaches a relational database system and method for electronicallystoring and managing data, documents, and files relating to individuals,properties, vehicles, pets, assets and corporate bodies to facilitateeasy viewing, retrieval, organization and onward transmission of suchinformation. The Bennett system enables a user to enter information intoan intuitive relational database system on a once-only basis. Further,Bennett integrates on a user selectable two-way basis with third partysuppliers, agencies, and computer programs. The system and method allowfor centralized storage and then automated communication of a user'sinformation for the purposes of receiving notifications of the lowestservice provider quotes as well as sending notifications of emergencyresponse, moving information, address updates, disaster recovery, andthe like, from a single relational database system. Acceptance of suchquotes may be automatic, and relevant documentation may thereafter beuploaded to the user's account for later search and review. Bennett isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Methods of combining or integrating data sources toward decision makingmay be of any of several means known to those skilled in the art. Forexample, International Pub. No. WO 2010/091372 published to Sholer etal. on Aug. 12, 2010 (“Sholer”), pertaining to information securityservices, discloses outsourced bundles of services for responding to acompromise of information assets. The Sholer system main steps are:receiving a request, obtaining preliminary information about thecompromise, dispatching one or more teams to respond, creating andupdating a case file, advising the customer with response decisions,notifying relevant parties about the compromise, acquiring forensicsdata, referring an insurance professional, implementing a trainingprogram, isolating the compromised information asset(s), neutralizingthe compromise, creating a risk assessment report, implementing securitytechnologies, and implementing security processes. Sholer isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Preparing and/or transforming data for use by the various modules andelements described herein may be of any of several means known to thoseskilled in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2012/0296676published to Burgoon, Jr. on Nov. 22, 2012 (“Burgoon”) teaches thetransformation of disparate data for use in rendering a decisioninvolving a potentially insurable risk. An Extract, Transform, Load(ETL) process extracts the data and converts it from a plurality offormats into a standard format for processing. A heuristic engineinferentially processes the converted data to identify informationrelevant to the decision to be rendered. A consolidation andpresentation engine generates presentable knowledge from the relevantinformation and then presents the knowledge to a decision-making entityfor rendering the decision. And an optimization feedback processmonitors one or more actions on the presented knowledge by thedecision-making entity and adjusts one or more of the ETL process, theheuristic engine, and the consolidation and presentation engine as afunction of the monitored actions. Burgoon is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

This Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it beconstrued as being representative of the full extent and scope of thepresent disclosure. The present disclosure is set forth in variouslevels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in theattached drawings and the Detailed Description of the Invention, and nolimitation as to the scope of the present disclosure is intended byeither the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. inthis Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the presentdisclosure will become more readily apparent from the DetailedDescription, particularly when taken together with the drawings.

The above-described benefits, embodiments, and/or characterizations arenot necessarily complete or exhaustive, and in particular, as to thepatentable subject matter disclosed herein. Other benefits, embodiments,and/or characterizations of the present disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, as set forth above and/or describedin the accompanying figures and/or in the description herein below.However, the Detailed Description of the Invention, the drawing figures,and the exemplary claim set forth herein, taken in conjunction with thisSummary of the Invention, define the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the general description of the invention given above andthe detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explainthe principals of this invention.

It should be understood that in certain instances, details that are notnecessary for an understanding of the disclosure or that render otherdetails difficult to perceive may have been omitted. Further, thedrawings of the system and/or method do not detail all features of thesystem and/or method, and do not show the entire system and/or method.It should be understood, of course, that the disclosure is notnecessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a customer centralized insuranceloss system in accordance with embodiments of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting the insurance loss system inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting components of the Surveillance andMonitoring Module of the insurance loss system in accordance withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting components of the Action AssessmentModule of the insurance loss system in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method of allocating required actors'actions in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting components of the actors and actionsin different temporal states of peril in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting a method of creating potential damagezones upon a trigger event in a pre-incident scenario in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram depicting a traditional customercentralized insurance loss system in accordance with embodiments of theprior art. In such a system, the customer is burdened with managinginsurance activities, such as risk control before and after an incident,and managing the claim process, such as engaging repair contractors.

FIG. 2 provides a block diagram of the system depicting the interactionsof modules, sensors, and actors in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

The insurance loss system 1000 is depicted with modules Surveillance andMonitoring Module (SMM) 2000, Action Assessment Module (AAM) 3000 andAction Execution Module (AEM) 4000. State sensors 6000 (not part of theinvention) are also depicted, and an Actors and Actors' Actions (AAA)component 5000.

The State Sensors 6000 include a variety of data describing the state ofpossible insurance perils and insured assets of interest. For example,the state sensors 6000 may monitor and/or acquire weather data, eitherindependently or from external sources such as the National WeatherService. Also, for example, the state sensors may acquire positionaldata as to insured assets, for example a policyholder's insured vehicle,by, for example, positional data broadcast by the insured vehicle. Thedata acquired by the state sensors 6000 is provided or communicated tothe Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000. Perils of interest includethose that place an insured policyholder or asset at increased risk,such as perils due to weather, natural disasters or catastrophes, fireor smoke, crime such as theft or fraud, water damage, and mechanical orelectrical problem.

In one embodiment, potential and/or actual perils are selected from thegroup consisting of hurricanes, ice storms, thunderstorms, high winds,tornados, storm surges, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, hail storms,volcanic eruptions, fires, dust storms, and snow storms.

The Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000 receives data from the StateSensors 6000 and also may transmit data to the State Sensors 6000. Thedata transmitted or provided to the State Sensors may includeinstructions for specific surveillance or monitoring, for example, adirective to acquire positional data as to a policyholder's insuredvehicle. The Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000 accepts data fromthe State Sensors 6000 and, among other things, performs data managementand data integration to, for example, determine if additional data isrequired regarding a certain peril or insured asset and/or perform riskassessment as to perils identified and/or tracked.

The Action Assessment Module 3000 receives data from the Surveillanceand Monitoring Module 2000 and processes that data, in combination withstatic data such as policyholder data and insured asset data, todetermine if an action is required. If an action is required, the typeof action is determined and such data is transmitted to the ActionExecution Module 4000. For example, data received from the Surveillanceand Monitoring Module 2000 may indicate a high likelihood of a peril,such as a hurricane, approaching a particular insured asset, such as apolicyholder's vehicle, and, upon processing by the Action AssessmentModule 3000, result in a determination that an action, such ascontacting the policyholder to inform him of the peril and request thathe relocate his vehicle, is required for execution by the ActionExecution Module 4000. Also, the Action Assessment Module 3000, uponreceipt and processing of data from the Surveillance and MonitoringModule 2000, may determine that additional data is required, and as suchsend a data request from the Action Assessment Module 3000 to theSurveillance and Monitoring Module 2000.

The Action Execution Module 4000 receives data from the ActionAssessment Module 4000 and process that data, in combination with datasuch as the temporal posture of the peril at issue and the availabilityand character of actors involved to effect the action recommended. Forexample, if the peril is on-going, the Action Execution Module 4000would likely seek to effect actions that would serve as so-called“damage mitigation” to reduce the harm and/or loss to the insuredassets. Alternately, if the peril had passed, the Action ExecutionModule 4000 would likely seek to effect actions that would serve asso-called “incident management” to address the harm and/or loss to theinsured assets. In any case, the Action Execution Module 4000 typicallyoutputs data to the Actors and Actors' Actions 5000 to effect therecommended action. The Action Execution Module 400 may also transmit tothe Action Assessment Module 3000 seeking additional information and/orprocessing by the Action Assessment Module 3000.

The Actors and Actors' Actions 5000 comprises the human actors and/orstakeholders involved in executing and/or managing the policyholderinsured assets. The Actors and Actors' Actions 5000 receive data fromthe Action Execution Module 4000 and transmit data to the ActionExecution Module 4000. For example, Actors and Actors' Actions 5000 maytransmit data as to the status of effecting the desired action directedby the Action Execution Module 4000. The Actors and Actors' Actions 5000also transmits data to the Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000, forexample, the physical positioning of one or more Actors and/or thestatus of an actor's performance in a tasked action.

The group of Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000, Action AssessmentModule 3000 and Action Execution Module 4000 are collectively grouped asSystem Hub 1050. The components of System Hub 1050 may individually orcollectively exchange data and/or interact with the Actors and Actors'Actions 5000.

FIG. 3 depicts the Surveillance and Monitoring Module (SMM) 2000 of theinsurance loss system 1000 in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. The Surveillance and Monitoring Module (SMM) 2000 comprisesthe SMM State Sensor Ingest Module 2010, the SMM Risk of Peril Module2020, the SMM User Interface 2030, the SMM Static Data Module 2040 andthe SMM Computer Processor & Computer Memory 2050. The SMM Risk of PerilModule 2020 comprises SMM Risk Monitoring 2101, SMM Risk Assessment 2102and SMM Risk Notification 2103. The SMM Static Data Module 2040 maycomprise policy holder data, insured asset data and geospatial data. Inone embodiment, the SMM Risk of Peril Module 2020 interacts withRe-insurer Modeling Data, 2060. Re-insurer Modeling Data may comprise ofdata regarding probability of peril due to catastrophic events, naturaldisasters, weather, fire, theft, and any other causes of peril.Re-insurer Modeling Data may also comprise of risk management models andloss mitigation models.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting components of the Action AssessmentModule of the insurance loss system 1000 in accordance with embodimentsof the present invention. The Action Assessment Module (AAM) 3000comprises the AAM Data Ingest Module 3010) AAM Damage Assessment Module3020, AAM User Interface 3030, AAM Static Data 3040, AAM ComputerProcessor & Computer Memory 3050 and AAM Determine Action(s) to ExecuteModule 3060. The AAM Static Data 3040 may comprise thresholds foraction, options available and Policy Holder data. The AAM DamageAssessment Module 3020 comprises AAM Potential Damage NotificationManagement 3201, AAM Potential Damage Assessment 3202, AAM ProprietaryData Bookmark 3204, AAM Initial Damage Assessment 3302 and AAM ActualDamage Assessment Management 3305.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a method of allocating required actors'actions in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. Themethod of FIG. 5B would typically be performed within the ActionExecution Module 4000. However, it could also be distributed withinelements of the System Hub 1050. Data from the Action Assessment Module(AAM) 3000 is received (step 4011). The data received at step 4011comprises, for example, the temporal nature of peril and the actionsought for execution. The AAM data is then combined at step 4012 withAEM static data of the AEM Static Data module 4040. The AEM Static Data4040 may comprise data involving actors and/or actors' actionsavailable. After the data combination step 4012, the temporal state ofperil, comprising before, during and after, is identified at step 4017.Required actors for action are then identified and required actions ofthose actors are allocated (step 4018). The appropriate actors are thencontacted for execution of appropriate actions, shown in FIG. 5B asengagement with the Actors and Actors' Actions 5000 component.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting components of the Actor's actionsassociated with embodiments of the present invention. The components of5010 are associated with the Actors' actions Before Temporal State ofPeril 5100, During Temporal State of Peril 5200, and After TemporalState of Peril 5300. The Actors in certain embodiments comprisePolicyholders 5011 (“PH”), Claim Center 5012 (“CC”), Re-insurer 5013(“RI”), Agent 5014, Mitigation Responder 5015 (“MR”), Adjuster 5016, andRepair Contractor 5017 (“RC”).

Components associated with module Before Temporal State of Peril 5100comprise: Gold-Plan Sign-up 5110, Risk Notification Response 5120, RiskNotification Approval Management 5130, Preferred Status 5140, CreateAccount 5150, Account Maintenance and Monitoring 5160.

Components associated with During Temporal State of Peril 5200 comprisePotential Damage Mitigation Response 5210, Potential Damage MitigationActivities 5220, Proprietary Data Bookmark 5230, Potential DamageNotification 5240, Potential Damage Notification Management 5250,Potential Damage Assessment 5260, Potential Damage Mitigation Management5270.

Components associated with After Temporal State of Peril 5300 compriseDamage Notification Response 5310, Initial Damage Assessment 5315,Damage Mitigation Activities 5320, Claim Filing 5325, Actual DamageAssessment Response 5330, Damage Repair Monitoring 5335, RepairsAcceptance 5340, Preferred Vendor Performance Review 5345, ClaimResolution Performance Review 5350, Damage Notification Management 5355,Initial Damage Mitigation Management 5360, Claims Management 5365,Actual Damage Assessment Management 5370, Damage Repair Management 5375,Claims Close 5380, Preferred Service Provider Performance Review 5385,Damage Repair Sign-off 5390.

The group of Surveillance and Monitoring Module 2000, Action AssessmentModule 3000 and Action Execution Module 4000 are collectively grouped asSystem Hub 1050. The components of System Hub 1050 may individually orcollectively exchange data and/or interact with the Actors and Actors'Actions 5000. The components of the System Hub 1050 may be considered asthose associated with a System Hub Temporal State of Peril: Before,System Hub Temporal State of Peril: During and System Hub Temporal Stateof Peril: After. Components associated with the System Hub TemporalState of Peril: Before comprise SMM Risk Monitoring 2101, SMM RiskAssessment 2102, SMM Risk Notification 2103, CC Preferred ServiceProvider Management 5313 and CC Preferred Vendor Management 5314.Components associated with the System Hub Temporal State of Peril:During comprise AEM Potential Damage Notification Module, AAM PotentialDamage Notification Management 3201, AAM Potential Damage Assessment3202, AEM Potential Damage Mitigation Management and AAM ProprietaryData Bookmark 3204. Components associated with the System Hub TemporalState of Peril: After comprise AEM Damage Notification Management, AAMInitial Damage Assessment 3302, AEM Initial Damage MitigationManagement, AEM Claims Management, AAM Actual Damage AssessmentManagement 3305, AEM Damage Repair Management, AEM Damage RepairSign-Off and Claims Close, CC Preferred Service Provider PerformanceReview 5338, CC Preferred Vendor Performance Review 5339 and CC ClaimResolution Performance Review 5340, PH Preferred Vendor PerformanceReview 5238, PH Claim Resolution Performance Review 5239, AgentPreferred Vendor Performance Review 5438 and Agent Claim ResolutionPerformance Review 5439.

By way of example only, certain embodiments entail Policy Holder 5011,engaging in certain actions after peril has occurred, as depicted bySystem Hub Temporal State of Peril: After, component 5300. Policy Holder5011 would provide a Damage Notification Response, component 5310. In apreferred embodiment, the Policy Holder would provide a DamageNotification Response within 120 minutes of receipt of theaforementioned notification. In a more preferred embodiment, the PolicyHolder would provide a Damage Notification Response within 90 minutes ofreceipt of the aforementioned notification. In a most preferredembodiment, the Policy Holder would provide a Damage NotificationResponse within 60 minutes of receipt of the aforementionednotification. Policy Holder also engages in Initial Damage Assessment,component 5315, to determine the amount of damage caused by the perilousevent. In preferred embodiments, Policy Holder would provide a reportregarding the Initial Damage Assessment, including providing the reportvia a phone call, providing the report via text message, providing thereport via email, and/or providing the report through an onlineweb-based portal. Policy Holder 5011 would then engage in Initial DamageMitigation Activities, component 5320. In preferred embodiments, InitialDamage Mitigation Activities includes those described above. PolicyHolder 5011 would also file a claim, depicted by component 5325. Then,there would be Actual Damage Assessment Response, component 5330, DamageRepair Monitoring, component 5335 by the Policy Holder, related to theresponse. After satisfactory repairs, Policy Holder would then provide aRepairs Acceptance, component 5340. Policy Holder would also provide aPreferred Vendor Performance Review as an evaluation of the MitigationResponder 5015, component 2308, and a Claim Resolution PerformanceReview of the Adjuster 5016. One aspect of the present embodiments dealswith the timing of responses required to accomplish the overallobjective tasks as described hereunder. For example, in the timesensitive areas at issue, the entire process is preferably accomplishedwith communications from at least the agent, policy holder and at leastone other entity selected form the group consisting of: adjuster;roofer; repairman; furnace; plumber, etc.—being within 72 hours, morepreferably within 48 hours and most preferably within 24 hours.

In this example related to after peril activities, Repair Contractor5017 would engage in activities depicted by System Hub Temporal State ofPeril: After, component 5300. Repair Contractor 5017 would receive anotification according to the present invention, such as DamageNotification Management, component 5355. Repair Contractor would providea Damage Notification Response, component 5310. In a preferredembodiment, the Repair Contractor would provide a Damage NotificationResponse within 120 minutes of receipt of the aforementionednotification. In a more preferred embodiment, the Repair Contractorwould provide a Damage Notification Response within 90 minutes ofreceipt of the aforementioned notification. In a most preferredembodiment, the Repair Contractor would provide a Damage NotificationResponse within 60 minutes of receipt of the aforementionednotification. The response includes a response via phone, a response viatext, response via email, and/or response via an online web-basedportal. Repair Contractor would then provide information regardingDamage Repair Management, component 5375. Repair Contractor providesinformation including the activities performed by Repair Contractor torepair the damage and/or status reports. This information includesproviding information via phone, a response via text, response viaemail, and/or response via an online web-based portal. After damage fromthe perilous event has been repaired, there would be a Damage RepairSign-Off, component 5390. The Damage Repair Sign-Off could becommunicated through phone, text, email, or as a message on an onlineweb-based portal. The Repair Contractor would then be notified ofpayment.

Continuing with the example regarding actions of actors after peril,Adjustor 5016 would receive Damage Notification Management. DamageNotification Response includes interaction with Agent 5014, and theAgent would reply to the Damage Notification Response, contacting theAdjustor via phone, a response via text, response via email, and/orresponse via an online web-based portal. In a preferred embodiment, theAdjustor would provide a Damage Notification Response within 120 minutesof receipt of the aforementioned notification. In a more preferredembodiment, the Adjustor would provide a Damage Notification Responsewithin 90 minutes of receipt of the aforementioned notification. In amost preferred embodiment, the Adjustor would provide a DamageNotification Response within 60 minutes of receipt of the aforementionednotification. Adjustor would then engage in Claims Management, component5365. This includes claims evaluation and/or receiving an assessmentassigning schedule. Claims Management 5365 also includes Adjustorconfirming the claim evaluation schedule, evaluating the claim, creatinga formal report, and/or providing a claim evaluation report. In apreferred embodiment, the Adjustor would provide a final claimevaluation report within 90 days according to the Claims Managementcomponent. In a more preferred embodiment, the Adjustor would provide afinal claim evaluation report within 60 days according to the claimsmanagement component. In a most preferred embodiment, the Adjustor wouldprovide a final claim evaluation report within 30 days according to theClaims Management component.

The above example is not intended to limit the present invention, as theparameters described apply to timing of notifications between all actorsunless noted otherwise. For example, in yet another embodiment, ClaimCenter 5012 could receive a Risk Notification Response from PolicyHolder 5011 in System Hub Temporal State of Peril: Before, component5100, as an early warning of peril. In this example, in a preferredembodiment, the Policy Holder would provide a Risk Notification Responsewithin 120 minutes of receipt of the aforementioned notification. In amore preferred embodiment, the Policy Holder would provide a RiskNotification Response within 90 minutes of receipt of the aforementionednotification. In a most preferred embodiment, the Policy Holder wouldprovide a Risk Notification Response within 60 minutes of receipt of theaforementioned notification.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, there is a synchronousnotification sent to all actors that will be involved. The notificationmay include Risk Notification Response, Potential Damage Notificationand/or Damage Notification Response. In a preferred embodiment, theactors would provide a response within 120 minutes of receipt of theaforementioned notification. In a more preferred embodiment, the actorswould provide a response within 90 minutes of receipt of theaforementioned notification. In a most preferred embodiment, actorswould provide response within 60 minutes of receipt of theaforementioned notification.

Although this scenario has reference use of online communications, othercommunications could be utilized as well, comprising land-line orcellular or satellite telephone, face-to-face communications betweenparties, texting, faxing and any other means of communications known tothose skilled in the art.

Regarding the method of creating potential damage zones upon a triggerevent in a pre-incident scenario of FIG. 7, a trigger event is firstidentified. For example, the event may be a hurricane traveling up thenortheastern seaboard region of the United States. This hurricane eventwill be used as a hypothetical scenario to provide additional insightinto the method FIG. 7, but is not to be construed as limiting themethod in any way. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the identification ofthe trigger event step is conducted within the SMM Risk MonitoringModule 2101. In a preferred embodiment, sustained winds of greater than29 mph are considered a trigger event. In a more preferred embodiment,winds greater than 31 mph are considered a trigger event. In a mostpreferred embodiment, sustained winds of greater than 35 mph areconsidered a trigger event. However, this step could also be distributedwithin elements of the System Hub 1050.

In other embodiments, trigger events may be set in accordance withguidelines and scales associated with peril. For example, certainembodiments may use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to determinetrigger events. In this example, a preferred embodiment comprises atrigger event of a Category 3 hurricane according to the Saffir-SimpsonHurricane Wind Scale (sustained winds of 74-95 mph). A more preferredembodiment comprises a trigger event of a Category 4 hurricane accordingto the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (sustained winds of 130-156mph). A most preferred comprises a trigger event of a Category 5hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale(sustained winds greater than 157 mph). The Saffir-Simpson HurricaneWind Scale is only an example, and trigger events may be set using othercriteria such as the Richter scale, etc.

Next, potential damage zones are identified and insured propertiesand/or assets are flagged. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, this step isaccomplished within the SMM Risk Assessment 2102 component. However,this step could also be distributed within elements of the System Hub1050. Required actors for action are then identified and requiredactions of those actors are allocated. The appropriate actors are thencontacted for execution of appropriate actions. In the embodiment ofFIG. 7, each of the claim center, policy holder, agent and mitigationresponder are notified and provide acknowledgement of the trigger eventand/or actions requested. In a preferred embodiment, each of theaforementioned actors are notified within 90 minutes of theidentification of a trigger event. In a more preferred embodiment, eachof the aforementioned actors are notified within 60 minutes of theidentification of a trigger event. In a most preferred embodiment, eachof the aforementioned actors are notified within 30 minutes of theidentification of a trigger event. In FIG. 7, these steps are shown asconsecutive components 6320, 6221, 6421 and 6521. For each of theseidentified actors, in addition to receiving notice of an event (here, ahurricane approaching and potentially impacting policyholder assets),each actors' actions comprise acknowledging the notice, selectingnotification type, selecting notification method, selecting recipientand creating a custom message.

Continuing with the method of creating potential damage zones upon atrigger event in a pre-incident scenario of FIG. 7, after theappropriate actors are contacted for execution of appropriate actions asdescribed above, Phase I claim center activities occur as within the CCTemporal State of Peril: During Module 6329. Specifically, componentsassociated with the CC Temporal State of Peril: During 6329 comprisingCC Potential Damage Notification Management 5250, CC Potential DamageMitigation Management 5250 and CC Proprietary Data Bookmark 5230 areengaged. The CC Potential Damage Notification Management 5250, performsactivities comprising weather data acquisition and satellite dataacquisition, each of which require notification to the policyholder andagent via respective online accounts.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, Phase I Mitigation Responder activities ensue.These activities are shown as being performed within the MitigationResponder Potential Damage Notification Management 6521 element.However, these activities could also be distributed within elements ofthe System Hub 1050. The activities of the Mitigation ResponderPotential Damage Notification Management 6521 comprise, schedulemitigation comprising notifying the policyholder, agent and claimcenter, respectively, via online account of schedule.

Continuing with the method of FIG. 7, the Policy Holder Temporal Stateof Peril: During 5200 component is next engaged. Here, the Policy Holdereither accepts or rejects the mitigation responder schedule. Theresulting activities of the policy holder are specific as to choice ofaccept (identified as Phase Ia Policy Holder activities in FIG. 7 orchoice of decline (identified as Phase Ib activities in FIG. 7. Shouldthe Policy Holder accept the mitigation responder schedule, then, asshown by FIG. 7, Phase II Mitigation Responder activities occur, asshown in FIG. 7 as those within the Mitigation Responder Temporal Stateof Peril: During 6520 module. In contrast, should the Policy Holderdecline the mitigation responder schedule, then, as shown by FIG. 7,Phase II Policy Holder activities occur, as shown in FIG. 7 as thosewithin the Policy Holder Potential Damage Mitigation Activities 6223.

The last step of FIG. 7 is that identified with CC Proprietary DataBookmark 6324. These activities comprise notifying the policy holder,agent and mitigation responder of any proprietary bookmark, shown inthis embodiment as via an online account.

Other embodiments of the present invention comprise providing aplurality of notifications as a forewarning to the same or multipleactors at separate times. For example, imagine an earthquake is detectedoff the coast of Japan. In preferred embodiments, Policy Holder wouldreceive a notification of a potential Tsunami 48 hours before theTsunami is expected to reach land. Policy Holder would receive anothermessage 24 hours later, updating the Policy Holder regarding whether theTsunami is expected to reach land and when it would reach land. PolicyHolder would receive another message 12 hours later, updating the PolicyHolder regarding whether the Tsunami is expected to reach land and whenit is expected to reach land. Policy Holder would be required to providea response to the notifications, in accordance with the preferredembodiments described. The notifications may provide an instruction toPolicy Holder comprising, an instruction that Policy Holder shouldrelocate assets to a particular area, an instruction that Policy Holdershould take protective measures by securing assets in a safe off-site,an instruction that Policy Holder that assets that are likely to be mostdamaged by the particular type of peril should be protected, such asplacing assets into a fireproof safe, and/or an instruction that PolicyHolder should reinforce certain areas of a structure. The instructionmay also include that the perilous event has passed or poses no threat,e.g., the Tsunami is not expected to reach land. This example of oneparticular actor to a particular type of peril is not intended as alimit, as the invention operates the same for the relevant actors anddifferent types of peril.

Although this scenario has reference use of online communications, othercommunications could be utilized as well, comprising land-line orcellular or satellite telephone, face-to-face communications betweenparties, texting, faxing and any other means of communications known tothose skilled in the art.

By way of example, but noting that such scenarios are only some of manypossible scenarios, the following sets forth a situation tracing thelife of an insurance claim from pre-peril, through peril and post-peril.

The Life of a Claim

SCENE 1—Date: Monday, May 6

-   -   Time: Noon—CDT    -   Location: ABC Insurance Company—WECARE Monitoring Dept.    -   Stan the Storm Center technician is monitoring developing        weather over the central Rocky Mountains. Using a vast array of        weather information gleaned from various weather services,        radar, satellite imagery, local weather stations, and weather        spotters Stan notices that the precursors to the normal        afternoon thunderstorm activity in the Denver metro area look        more active and potentially more severe than normal.    -   ABC Ins. Co. has configured the system using the web portal        tools to respond once certain thresholds have been reached. They        were able to select which items were important to them and then        set the trigger levels for each.    -   In this case they've decided that wind speeds in excess of 20        mph over certain weather stations, at this time of year, and at        certain times of the day is one trigger.    -   Another is that humidity levels over 75% at certain weather        stations, at this time of year, and at certain times of the day        is a trigger.    -   An additional trigger is when quarter-inch sized hail is        detected aloft via Doppler Radar.    -   They've also an alert rule to be when all three of the above        have been triggered.    -   Time: 1 pm—CDT    -   Stan is convinced that severe weather for the Denver metro area        is on the menu for today. He then notices that the present        invention is recommending that an alert be sent out. Stan        notifies his manager that he is in agreement in recommending        that an alert be issued for the Denver metro area. His manager        concurs and the present invention is instructed to issue the        alert.    -   Time: 2 pm—CDT, 1 pm MDT    -   An alert is issued. The alert goes out via email, SMS text, MMS        message, website, robo-phone call, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to        all policy holders of ABC Company that have purchased the plan.    -   Hail Warning    -   Time Location County State Lat Lon Comments    -   1300 DENVER DENVER CO 39.7N 104.8W STRONG WINDS W/HAIL

Mitigation Instructions:

-   -   1) Please confirm that you have received this message by        answering the prompt on your phone, logging into your account        online, or by calling 1-888-555-1212.    -   2) Move all of your vehicles to a safe, covered location.    -   3) Move any items that you can from the outside to under cover.    -   4) Ensure that all exterior doors and windows are closed and/or        covered.    -   5) Please confirm that you have completed these steps by        answering the prompt on your phone, logging into your account        online, or by calling 1-888-555-1212.    -   Time: 2 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete, an ABC Policy Holder, and a member, responds to item #1 of        the text message that he received during his meeting, and was        heading home to get ready to coach his son's baseball team, but        now has cancelled practice and is planning what he needs to get        secured for the impending storm. He can see the clouds building        and rolling off the mountains to the west has he heads home.    -   Upon arriving home, Pete parks his car in the garage, then parks        his wife's car in the garage. He pulls the stainless steel        barbeque he got last year for Father's Day up under the porch        roof of his deck. He then checks all exterior doors and windows        and is now as ready as he can be. He confirms these steps as        item #5 of the text message that he received earlier.    -   Time: 3 pm—MDT, 4 pm—CDT    -   Location: ABC Insurance—WECARE Monitoring Dept.    -   The system is now receiving confirmations from the policyholders        in the Denver area. The policy holders that have not confirmed        by now, are sent a follow up message reminding them that the        storm is imminent and that as a condition of their coverage,        they are to participate to the best of their abilities to the        pre-storm mitigation activities. They are also offered the        services of the preferred mitigation services providers if they        are unable to perform the mitigation actions themselves.    -   Time: 4 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   It's raining and Pete hears the first indications of hail. He's        watching out the window as the hail starts in force. He is upset        that his newly leafy trees are getting shredded, but glad that        he had not yet planted his flowers. He can hear the pounding        that his roof is taking.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT, 6 pm—CDT    -   Location: ABC Insurance—WECARE Monitoring Dept.    -   The WECARE center now sends out incident damage assessment        messages via the above note methods to the members asking them        for information as to the extent of any damages that they might        have incurred.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a message asking about the damages that he might        have after the storm. Pete heads outside to look around. He        notices that his trees are battered but will recover. He notices        that the screened in portion of his deck has damage to two-sides        of the screening. He notes that using a phone app. But that's        about all that he can see. He does notice a large amount of dark        ‘sand’ coming out of his downspouts and it is all over his        driveway. He thinks that his roof needs some attention and notes        that on his phone using the app as well.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 456 Business Way—offices of        ABC Ins. Co. Agent Al    -   Al has been monitoring the storm as well as the messages between        the ABC Insurance Company and his client policy holders. He        notes Pete's response to damage assessment and puts a note into        the system asking Pete if he wants an adjustor to come by and        take a look.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a text message from his agent, Al, asking about        the damages that he might have after the storm and wants to know        if Pete needs an adjustor to come take a look at his roof. Pete        replies that he does indeed want someone to come take a look.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 789 Anderson St.    -   Adam, a preferred adjustor service provider for ABC Ins. Co.,        has been monitoring the storm as well. He has been reviewing the        adjustor requests and tagging those that he feels that he can        cover. He notes that a policy holder, Pete, has requested that        an adjustor come by to take a look at his roof. Adam tags Pete's        request and a message is sent to Pete asking for scheduling        options.    -   Time: 7 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a text message from an adjustor, Adam, offering to        come by to look at the roof, and offering a list of times that        he is available. Via the phone app, Pete selects 2 pm the        following day.    -   Time: 7 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 789 Anderson St.    -   Adam receives Pete's schedule request and confirms that via the        web portal tools.

Scene 2

NEXT DAY—Tuesday

-   -   Time: 2 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Adam arrives at Pete's house, and meets Pete. Adam begins        touring the property, making his notes, taking pictures and        video via a tablet application. Upon completion of his        inspection, Adam meets with Pete and tells him that his 10 year        old roof has received significant damage and is recommending a        replacement roof He tells Pete to confer with his agent, Al, to        determine their next steps.    -   Time: 3 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 456 Business Way—offices of        ABC Ins. Co. Agent Al    -   Al has been reviewing his policy holder client's damage        assessments and the adjustor notes and recommendations. He        notices that Pete's assessment is completed and gives Pete a        call.    -   In talking with Pete, they review his claim history, the out of        pocket expenses for Pete if he decided to make a claim for the        roof and his policy costs going forward. Pete decides that he        wants to file a claim and Al agrees.    -   Time: 4 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete has just gotten off of the phone with his agent, Al, and        has decided to file a claim. He logs onto the WECARE website,        into his account, and fills out the claim request. A request for        roofing quotes is automatically sent out to the preferred        roofers in Pete's area.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 1122 Rocky Road Ave    -   Randy, a preferred roofer for ABC Ins. Co., has been monitoring        the storm messaging via his WECARE web portal tools. He notices        that a request for a roofing quote has come in for his area.        Randy tags Pete's request and a message is sent to Pete asking        for scheduling options.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a text message from a roofer, Randy, offering to        come by to look at the roof, and offering a list of times that        he is available. Via the phone app, Pete selects 2 pm the        following day.    -   Time: 7 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 789 Anderson St.    -   Randy receives Pete's schedule request and confirms that via the        WECARE web portal tools.

Scene 3

NEXT DAY—Wednesday

-   -   Time: 2 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Randy arrives at Pete's house, and meets Pete. Randy begins        inspecting the roof and making his notes, taking pictures and        video via the tablet application. Upon completion of his        inspection, Randy meets with Pete and tells him that his quote        is for $10,000. He tells Pete to confer with his agent, Al, to        determine their next steps.    -   Time: 3 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 456 Business Way—offices of        ABC Ins. Co. Agent Al    -   Al has been reviewing his policy holder client's damage        assessments, the adjustor notes and recommendations, and the        roofer's notes, comments, and quote. He decides to give Pete a        call.    -   Time: 4 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete has just gotten off of the phone with his agent, Al, and        they have agreed to the roofing quote from Randy. He logs on to        the WECARE website, into his account, and verifies that he        accepts Randy's quote. A work order and payment authorization        are then automatically sent out to Randy.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 1122 Rocky Road Ave    -   Randy, a preferred roofer for ABC Ins. Co., has been reviewing        his quotes and their statuses via his WECARE web portal tools.        He notices that a roofing quote has been accepted. Randy flags        Pete's quote and a message is sent to Pete asking for scheduling        options.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a text message from the roofer, Randy, confirming        that he is going to work on Pete's roof, and offering a schedule        of start dates. Via the phone app, Pete selects tomorrow,        Thursday.    -   Time: 7 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 789 Anderson St.    -   Randy receives Pete's schedule request and confirms that via the        web portal tools. He confirms his schedule, and sends Pete a        note with timeline for the roof repair job.

Scene 4

NEXT DAY—Thursday

-   -   Time: 8 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Randy arrives with his roofing crew to begin the roof repair. He        has scheduled two full days for the old roof removal and the new        roof installation. His crew begins the task. Randy, using his        tablet app, logs the project status.    -   Time: 8 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete is headed out the door to work when Randy arrives, he waves        and drives to work. When he gets to his office, using the phone        app, he logs the project status.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Randy and his crew have successfully removed the old roof, and        have stage the materials for the installation of the new roof        for the following day. Randy, using his tablet app, logs the        project status.

Time: 6 pm—MDT

-   -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete arrives home from baseball practice and surveys the day's        work that Randy and his crew have accomplished, then using the        phone app, he logs the project status.

Scene 5

NEXT DAY—Friday

-   -   Time: 8 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Randy again arrives with his roofing crew to complete the roof        repair. He has schedule two full days for the old roof removal        and the new roof installation. His crew begins the task. Randy,        using his tablet app, logs the project status.    -   Time: 10 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete had left prior to Randy and his crew arriving, so using the        WECARE phone app, he logs to check on the project status.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Randy and his crew have successfully installed the new roof, and        have completed their cleanup. Randy performs his final        inspection, making his notes, taking pictures and video via the        tablet application. He logs the project as completed.    -   Time: 6 pm—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete arrives home from baseball practice and surveys the        competed roof. Then, using the phone app, he logs the project        status. He gives a tentative approval for the job completion.

Scene 6

NEXT WEEK—Monday

-   -   Time: 8 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 456 Business Way—offices of        ABC Ins. Co. Agent Al    -   Al has been reviewing the project completed lists and notes that        Pete's roof has been completed. He also notes that Pete has        given tentative acceptance for the roof. He flags Pete's claim        for a final approval visit and a message is sent to Pete        providing scheduling options.    -   Time: 11 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Pete receives a text message from his agent, Al, offering a        schedule of dates to perform the final approval visit. Via the        phone app, Pete selects tomorrow, Tuesday.

Scene 7

NEXT DAY—Tuesday

-   -   Time: 10 am—MDT    -   Location: Highlands Ranch, Colo., 123 Wild Horse Lane    -   Al arrives at Pete's house, and meets Pete. Al and Pete begin        inspecting the roof, with Al making notes, taking pictures and        video via the tablet application. Upon completion of the        inspection Al and Pete agree to give final approval. Al logs his        approval again with his tablet app, and Pete logs his approval        with his phone app.    -   Time: Noon—CDT, 11 am—MDT    -   Location: ABC Insurance Company—WECARE Monitoring Dept.    -   The system logs the approval from both Al and Pete, final        payment authorization is given to pay Randy. The system also        logs the approval rating from both Al and Pete in regards to        Randy and his crew's performance. The claim is closed.    -   Time: 5 pm—MDT    -   Location: Denver, Colo., 1122 Rocky Road Ave    -   Randy, after another long day, logs into his portal and sees a        notice of payment for the roof on Pete's house.

To provide further clarity to the Detailed Description provided herein,the following list of components and associated numbering are providedas follows:

No. Component 1000 System 1050 System Hub 2000 Surveillance andMonitoring Module (SMM) 2010 SMM State Sensor Ingest Module 2020 SMMRisk of Peril Module 2030 SMM User Interface 2040 SMM Static Data Module2050 SMM Computer Processor & Computer Memory 2101 SMM Risk Monitoring2102 SMM Risk Assessment 2103 SMM Risk Notification 3000 ActionAssessment Module (AAM) 3010 AAM Data Ingest Module 3020 AAM DamageAssessment Module 3030 AAM User Interface 3040 AAM Static Data 3050 AAMComputer Processor & Computer Memory 3060 AAM Determine Action(s) toExecute Module 3201 AAM Potential Damage Notification Management 3202AAM Potential Damage Assessment 3204 AAM Proprietary Data Bookmark 3302AAM Initial Damage Assessment 3305 AAM Actual Damage AssessmentManagement 4000 Action Execution Module (AEM) 4011 AEM Data Receive 4012AEM Combine Data 4017 AEM Identify Temporal State of Peril 4018 AEMIdentify Actors and Allocate Actions 4040 AEM Static Data 5000 Actorsand Actors' Actions (AAA) 5010 Actors 5011 Policyholder (PH) 5012 ClaimCenter (CC) 5013 Re-insurer (RI) 5014 Agent 5015 Mitigation Responder(MR) 5016 Adjuster 5017 Repair Contractor (RC) 5100 Temporal State ofPeril: Before 5110 Gold-Plan Sign-up 5120 Risk Notification Response5130 Risk Notification Approval Management 5140 Preferred Status 5150Create Account 5160 Account Maintenance and Monitoring 5200 TemporalState of Peril: During 5210 Potential Damage Mitigation Response 5220Potential Damage Mitigation Activities 5230 Proprietary Data Bookmark5240 Potential Damage Notification 5250 Potential Damage NotificationManagement 5260 Potential Damage Assessment 5270 Potential DamageMitigation Management 5300 Temporal State of Peril: After 5310 DamageNotification Response 5315 Initial Damage Assessment 5320 Initial DamageMitigation Activities 5325 Claim Filing 5330 Actual Damage AssessmentResponse 5335 Damage Repair Monitoring 5340 Repairs Acceptance 5345Preferred Vendor Performance Review 5350 Claim Resolution PerformanceReview 5355 Damage Notification Management 5360 Initial DamageMitigation Management 5365 Claims Management 5370 Actual DamageAssessment Management 5375 Damage Repair Management 5380 Claims Close5385 Preferred Service Provider Performance Review 5390 Damage RepairSign-off 6000 State Sensors 6018 Identify Required Actors and AllocateRequired Actors' Actions 6221 Policy Holder (PH) Notified andAcknowledged 6223 Phase II PH Activities 6320 Claim Center (CC) Notifiedand Acknowledged 6324 Claim Center Activities 6329 Phase I Claim CenterActivities 6421 Agent Notified and Acknowledged 6520 Phase II MRActivities 6521 Mitigation Responder (MR) Notified and Acknowledged 6531Phase I Mitigation Responder Activities

While various embodiment of the present disclosure have been describedin detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of thoseembodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to beexpressly understood that such modifications and alterations are withinthe scope and spirit of the present disclosure, as set forth in thefollowing claims.

The foregoing discussion of the disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intendedto limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In theforegoing Detailed Description for example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more embodiments for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with eachclaim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of thedisclosure.

Moreover, though the present disclosure has included description of oneor more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, othervariations and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure,e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art,after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtainrights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

1. A surveillance and content determining system comprising: asurveillance computer that receives pre-incident weather data regardingone or more weather events, the surveillance computer identifying, basedon the weather data, one or more geographic damages zones which areforecast to receive an incident comprising a hurricane; one or moresensors in communication over a network with the surveillance computer,the one or more sensors broadcasting to the surveillance computer at apre-incident point in time positional data of at least one insuredasset, the at least one insured asset covered under a policyholder'sinsurance policy; one or more surveillance cameras installed in abuilding structure and in communication over the network with thesurveillance computer, the surveillance computer receiving from the oneor more sensors the positional data of the at least one insured assetand automatically sending a trigger, based on the weather data, to theone or more surveillance cameras in communication with the surveillancecomputer, the trigger causing the one or more surveillance cameras torecord specific surveillance of the content of the building structure togenerate, at the pre-incident point in time, a visual record of the atleast one insured asset; and the surveillance computer furthercomprising a processor that determines if additional data is requiredabout the at least one insured asset, and when additional data isrequired, sending a notification to a cellular phone of a user. 2.(canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. A surveillance and content determiningsystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one or more weather eventsinclude sustained winds of greater than 29 mph.
 5. A surveillance andcontent determining system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one ormore weather events include sustained winds of greater than 35 mph.
 6. Asurveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 1,wherein said building structure comprises a covered location having aroof.
 7. A surveillance and content determining system as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said building structure comprises a garage.
 8. Asurveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 1,wherein said building structure comprises a house.
 9. (canceled)
 10. Asurveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 1,wherein said at least one insured asset comprises a car.
 11. Asurveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 1,wherein said visual record comprises a picture taken on an iPhone.
 12. Asurveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 1,wherein said visual record comprises a picture taken on a smart phone.13. A surveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim1, wherein said visual record comprises a pictorial representation ofthe at least one insured asset.
 14. A surveillance and contentdetermining system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said additional datacomprises a risk assessment with respect to said at least one insuredasset.
 15. A surveillance and content determining system comprising: asurveillance computer that receives pre-incident weather data regardingone or more weather events, the surveillance computer identifying, basedon the weather data, one or more geographic damages zones which areforecast to receive an incident with at least one of a tornado and ahurricane; one or more sensors in communication over a network with thesurveillance computer, the one or more sensors broadcasting to thesurveillance computer at a pre-incident point in time positional data ofan insured asset; one or more surveillance cameras installed in abuilding structure and in communication over the network with thesurveillance computer, the surveillance computer receiving from the oneor more sensors the positional data of the an insured asset andautomatically sending a trigger, based on the weather data, to the oneor more surveillance cameras in communication with the surveillancecomputer, the trigger causing the one or more surveillance cameras torecord specific surveillance of the content of the building structure togenerate, at the pre-incident point in time, a visual record of theinsured asset; and the surveillance computer further comprising aprocessor that determines if additional data is required about theinsured asset, and when additional data is required, sending anotification to a cellular phone of a user.
 16. A surveillance andcontent determining system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the insuredasset comprises jewelry.
 17. A surveillance and content determiningsystem as set forth in claim 11, wherein said one or more surveillancecameras is provided in a safe, with said one or more surveillancecameras adapted to present a picture of the safe.
 18. A surveillance andcontent determining system comprising: a surveillance computer thatreceives pre-incident weather data regarding one or more weather events,the surveillance computer identifying, based on the weather data, one ormore geographic damages zones which are forecast to receive an incident,said incident selected from the group consisting of a hurricane, icestorm, thunderstorm, high winds, tornado, storm surge, flood, tsunami,earthquake, hail storm, volcanic eruption, fire, dust storm,quarter-inch sized hail, and snowstorm; one or more sensors incommunication over a network with the surveillance computer, the one ormore sensors broadcasting to the surveillance computer at a pre-incidentpoint in time positional data of an insured asset; one or moresurveillance cameras installed in a building structure and incommunication over the network with the surveillance computer, thesurveillance computer receiving from the one or more sensors thepositional data of the insured asset and automatically sending atrigger, based on the weather data, to the one or more surveillancecameras in communication with the surveillance computer, the triggercausing the one or more surveillance cameras to record specificsurveillance of the content of the building structure to generate, atthe pre-incident point in time, a visual record of the insured asset;and the surveillance computer further comprising a processor thatdetermines if additional data is required about the insured asset, andwhen additional data is required, sending a notification to a cellularphone of a user.
 19. A surveillance and content determining system asset forth in claim 18, wherein said building structure comprises acovered location having a roof.
 20. A surveillance and contentdetermining system as set forth in claim 18, wherein the insured assetcomprises a vehicle covered under a policyholder's insurance policy. 21.A surveillance and content determining system as set forth in claim 18,wherein said insured asset comprises a car.
 22. A surveillance andcontent determining system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said visualrecord comprises a picture taken on a smart phone.
 23. A surveillanceand content determining system as set forth in claim 18, wherein saidvisual record comprises a pictorial representation of the insured asset.